Among the dozens of Ave Marias
composed and performed in praise and veneration of the Lord Jesus Christ’s
mother, the Virgin Mary, the two most recognizable versions are those by Franz
Schubert and Johann Sebastian Bach (with lyrics by Charles Gounod.)
In the Philippines, the two
melancholic Ave Marias have been associated with funeral marches and are, thus,
rarely played outside of such somber settings. However, they are actually
paeans to the Virgin Mary as an intercessor of sinners to her son Jesus.
The standard lyrics of most Ave
Marias being from St. Luke 1:28, they recount the visitation when the Angel
Gabriel announced to Mary that she has been the chosen one to bear the Son of
God who would take away the sins of the world.
The playing of Schubert and
Bach-Gounod’s Ave Marias during funeral processions may not only be in relation
to their heavenly albeit seemingly mournful tunes: For the Bach-Gounoud
masterpiece an excerpt from the Praeludium of BWV 846 and for Schubert’s tour
de force one set to Op. 52 No.6, D.839.
In playing the Ave Maria during
funerals, the reference is to Michaelangelo’s Pieta depicting a grieving Mary
cradling the lifeless body of Christ upon his removal from the cross. For
Catholics at least, the Virgin Mary is the mother not only of Christ but of all
people. This is the reason why we ask Mother Mary to pray for us sinners now
and at the time of our death.
Happy birthday, Mama Mary.
Image: www.italianrenaissance.org
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