Ave Maria

In this paraphrase of the famous Ave Maria by Franz Schubert (1826), I imagine the congregation in the church, especially the pilgrims of Notre-Dame de Paris, reciting the Annunciation to Mary given by the angel Gabriel and the words of Elizabeth at the Visitation: ‘Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.’ This is then followed by the ‘Theotokos’ said to have been uttered by St. Simon Stock on his deathbed (1265): ‘Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.’ A lively perpetuum mobile featuring string arpeggios accompanies Schubert’s melody in the brass as a cantus firmus. A more agitated episode expressing the supplication precedes the serene and confident conclusion. Naji Hakim