Ave maris stella

General information

Hymn to the Virgin Mary (8th cent., author anon.)

Liturgical use: Hymn at Vespers on feasts of the Virgin Mary.

Mary's title of stella maris was first proposed by St. Jerome, in his treatise Liber de nominibus hebraicis (probably around AD 390), in which he explains the etymology of Hebrew names. He quotes unidentified sources as explaining the name of Mary as smyrna maris, literally bitterness of the sea. The Hebrew word miriam indeed refers to bitterness - it is explained as such in the anonymous Jewish account The life of Moses. St. Jerome dismisses the 'bitter' etymology, however, and proposes to change her title to stella maris. In order to justify his proposal, he quotes Syrus, most likely his contemporary St. Ephraem Syrus, who had insisted on Mary's status as domina or mistress.

View the Wikipedia article on Ave maris stella.

Settings by composers

Anonymous Gregorian chant in style of 19c hymn SATB unidentified ars antiqua (13c?) TTT Trent 91, 1470's STT Trent 88, c. 1460 TBBB Trent 89, 1460's SATB Trent 89, 1460's STB Francisco Alcantar SSA & organ Felice Anerio SATB (single verse) Giovanni Matteo Asola odd verses ATBarB even verses ATTB complete AAATTTBB Giovanni Biordi SATB William Byrd ATB Francesco Cavalli ATB & bc, ritornello for 2 treble instruments Mark Chapman SATB (in D) or AABarB (in C) Marc-Antoine Charpentier (even verses) SATBBB & bc Carlo Maria Clari SATB, 2 violins, & bc Andrea Cogliati SATB Léo Delibes SA & organ (vv. 1,3,4) Michael J. Drake, Jr. SATB Benedictus Ducis (complete, in two parts) AATTBB Guillaume Dufay SAB or STB Sebastián Durón SSAT.SATB & bc Antonín Dvořák A or B & organ Edward Elgar SATB & organ Caspar Ett (ST MARTIN 66.66) unison, ATTB or SATB Mariano Garau SAB Cristian Gentilini SATB Virgo singularis (Charles Gounod) unmixed vv. or TTBB, organ ad lib. (verses 5 & 6) Edvard Grieg SSAATTBB Hans Leo Hassler SATB (even verses) Johann David Heinichen (all) SATB basso seguente Václav Emanuel Horák SATB & organ Jacquet de Mantua SATB (vv. 2,4), SATTB (v. 6) Josquin des Prez SATB

Orlando di Lasso ATBB José Lidón SATB, 4-part strings Franz Liszt SATB organ Abel Di Marco SATB Joseph Mohr SATB Cristoforo Montemayor SATTB Claudio Monteverdi SATB.SATB & bc, with instruments José Maurício Nunes Garcia I, SATB & orchestra II, SATB & bc Josef Ohnewald (X - all verses; XI - vv. 1-2,6-7)) SATB & orchestra Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (odd) SATB Paolo Pandolfo SATB & organ Lorenzo Perosi SATB Pascal Picard SATBB Tim Pratt SATB & organ Oreste Ravanello SSA (odd verses) Jacob Regnart SSATB Josef Rheinberger SATB & orchestra Hail, Lady, Sea-Star Bright (Kathryn Rose) SATB Oscar Santos SATB Josef Ignaz Schnabel (vv. 1-2,6-7) SATB & orchestra John Sheppard (even) SATTBB with reconstruction of lost tenor Johannes Nepomuk Skraup SATB & organ Josep Navarro i Solves STBarB, with STB soli & organ Francesco Soriano SATB (v. 1 only) Canon all'unisono a mezza pausa sopra Ave maris stella 3 equal: 2 canonic voices of similar range to chant. Johann Stadlmayr SATB J. Guy Stalnaker SATB Thomas Stoltzer ATBB (v. 1 only) Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck TTB (1 verse, cantus fermus with canon) Paolo Teodori SSATTB Hristo Tsanoff SSAATTBB Jacobus Vaet (even vv. for 4, 3 & 6 voices) SSATTB Tomás Luis de Victoria odd verses SATB even verses SATB

Other settings possibly not included in the manual list above

• Mark Chapman — Ave maris stella
• Jan Le Febure — Ave maris stella
• André da Silva Gomes — Ave maris stella
• Charles Gounod — Virgo singularis, CG 130
• Ginés Pérez de la Parra — Ave maris stella

Text and translations

Latin text Ave, maris stella, Dei Mater alma, Atque semper Virgo, Felix caeli porta. Sumens illud Ave Gabrielis ore, Funda nos in pace, Mutans Evae nomen. Solve vincla reis, Profer lumen caecis, Mala nostra pelle, Bona cuncta posce Monstra te esse matrem Sumat per te preces, Qui pro nobis natus Tulit esse tuus. Virgo singularis, Inter omnes mitis, Nos culpis solutos, Mites fac et castos. Vitam praesta puram, Iter para tutum, Ut videntes Jesum, Semper collaetemur. Sit laus Deo Patri, Summo Christo decus Spiritui Sancto, Tribus honor unus. Amen.

English translation Hail, star of the sea, loving Mother of God, and also always a virgin, Happy gate of heaven. Receiving that Ave from Gabriel's mouth confirm us in peace, Reversing Eva's name. Break the chains of sinners, Bring light to the blind, Drive away our evils, Ask for all good. Show yourself to be a mother, May he accept prayers through you, he who, born for us, Chose to be yours. O unique virgin, Meek above all, Make us, absolved from sin, Gentle and chaste. Keep life pure, Make the journey safe, So that, seeing Jesus, We may always rejoice together. Let there be praise to God the Father, Glory to Christ in the highest, To the Holy Spirit, One honor to all three. Amen. Translation by Allen H. Simon

German translation Sei gegrüßt, du Stern des Meeres, gütige Mutter Gottes, ewige Jungfrau, sel'ge Himmelspforte. Die du das Ave empfängst aus Gabriels Mund gib uns des Friedens Geist, kehre Evas Namen um. Löse aus Banden die Sünder, erleuchte die Blinden, unsere Gebrechen nimm hinweg, alles Gute erwirke für uns. Erzeige dich als Mutter, durch dich empfange unser Gebet, der um unseretwillen dein Sohn wurde. Jungfrau, auserkoren, mild vor allen, mach uns, von Sünden frei, mild und keusch. Gib ein reines Leben, beschütze unsern Weg, daß wir einst Jesus sehen und uns allezeit freuen. Lob sei Gott, dem Vater, Ehre sei Christus, dem Allerhöchsten, und dem Heiligen Geist, ein Lobpreis sei den dreien. Amen.

French translation Salut, étoile de la mer, Mère nourricière de Dieu et toujours Vierge, heureuse porte du Ciel. Recevant cet Ave de la bouche de Gabriel, affermissez-vous dans la paix par ce changement du nom d'Eve. Rompez les liens des pécheurs, rendez la lumière aux aveugles éloignez de nous les maux, obtenez-nous tous les biens. Montrez-vous mère, qu'il reçoive de vous< nos prières celui qui, pour nous, daigna être votre fils. Vierge unique, douce entre toutes, faites que, délivrés de nos fautes, nous soyons chastes et purs. Accordez-nous une vie innocente, rendez sûrs nos chemins, afin que, voyant Jésus, nous goûtions avec vous les joies éternelles. Louange à Dieu le Père, gloire au Christ roi et à l'Esprit-Saint. Honneur égal aux Trois. Amen.

Hungarian translation Tengernek csillaga, Isten édesanyja, üdvözlégy, mindig szűz, menny boldog kapuja. Te, kinek Gábriel ajka mondott Avé-t, tégy közöttünk békét, forditsd Éva nevét! Szabadíts rabokat, adj fényt a vakoknak, űzd el bajainkat, igényeld javunkat. Mutasd, hogy anyánk vagy! Hallja meg imádat, ki értünk fiaddá születni nem átallt. Kiváltságos szent Szűz, mindenek közt enyhe, oldd fel bűneinket, enyhíts, tisztíts minket! Mosd meg életünket, készíts el utunkat, hogy örök örömben lássuk Jézusunkat! Istennek dicséret, Krisztusnak dicsőség, Szentlélekkel együtt hármas-egy tisztesség!

Dutch translation Wees gegroet, o Zeester, Moeder Gods en tevens gave Maagd bestendig, Blijde poort des levens. 's Engels groet aanvaardend, grond ons in zo'n vrede dat de naam van Eva brenge een Ave mede. Slaak de boei der bozen, open 't oog der blinden, doe onze euvlen wijken Godes gunst ons vinden. Toon U onze Moeder bij de nooit Volprezen, die, voor ons geboren, de uwe wilde wezen. Maak, o Maagd der maagden, als niet één aanminnig, ons van zonde ontbonden, zuiver en zachtzinnig. Doe ons, rein van wandel, 't wisse pad betreden, tot we juichend Jesus zien in 't eeuwig Eden. Lof zij God de Vader, Christus, onze koning, lof de Geest; hun Drieën de eigenste eerbetoning.   Translation by R.J. Jordens

External links

• An alternative English translation