Ave Maria (Schubert)

Background

The piece was composed as a setting of a song from Walter Scott's popular narrative poem The Lady of the Lake, in a German translation by Adam Storck. In Scott's poem, the character Ellen Douglas sings a prayer addressed to the Virgin Mary, calling upon her for help. Schubert's setting is said to have first been performed at the castle of Countess Sophie Weissenwolff in the little Austrian town of Steyregg and dedicated to her, which led to her becoming known as 'the lady of the lake' herself.

Schubert composed the song as part of a selection of seven songs from Scott's poem, published in 1826 as his Opus 52. The songs were not intended for a single performer: the three songs of Ellen were for a woman's voice with piano accompaniment. The opening words and refrain of Ellen's song, namely 'Ave Maria', may have led to the idea of adapting Schubert's melody as a setting for the full text of the traditional Roman Catholic prayer. The Latin version is now so frequently used with Schubert's melody that it has led to the impression that he originally wrote the melody as a setting for the 'Ave Maria' prayer.