INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT "AVE MARIA"
No doubt "Ave Maria" is one of the most beautiful songs of all time. At the same time it is one of the most mysterious song. The authors of the most popular versions of “Ave Maria”, Franz Schubert and J.S.Bach, never wrote a songs with this title and “Ave Maria”, which was for a long time misattributed to baroque composer Giulio Caccini, was actually composed fifteen years ago.
Ave Maria by Franz Schubert
Schubert's version of Ave Maria was composed in 1825. Originally
this song was entitled “Ellens dritter Gesang” (Ellen's Third Song).
The words to Ave Maria song were taken from Sir Walter Scott's poem
"The Lady of the Lake" and Adam Storck wrote the German translation Schubert used for his Ave Maria song.
The confusion over the song title probably arose due to the opening verse of the song:
Ave Maria! Maiden mild!
Listen to a maiden's prayer!....
Ave Maria lyrics in German
Original English lyrics by Walter Scott
The German lyrics that Schubert set to music is not a perfect translation, but a fairly close one. The
Lied may have first been performed in the home of Sophie Weissenwolff (1794-1847), who made it clear that she would like the dedication, and she received it.
Countess Weissenwolff subsequently became known as "The Lady Of The Lake."
The person who first set the Latin lyrics to Schubert's Ave Maria song remains a mystery to this day.
Listen to Schubert's "Ave Maria" in German
Ave Maria by J.S.Bach/Charls Gounod
This popular version of "Ave Maria" is acctually variation on the 1st prelude of Bach 's ""Well-Tempered Clavier".
In 1853 Charls Gounod made variation on the Bach's prelude. Originally it was instrumental piece for violin and piano, and only six years later the words to were added to this composition and this made it so popular.
Just as in case with Schubert’s song, the person who first set the lyrics to Gounod's variation on Bach's prelude remains a mystery untill now.