Whether for solo, congregation, or choir, singing the text of the "Hail Mary" is a foundation of musical expression about the Blessed Virgin Mary.

• Chant

This started it all. The great solo settings like Schubert and choral settings like Biebl draw their inspiration from it. While many Catholics associate Mary with the month of May or feasts like Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, this chant is positioned by the church as the proper for the Preparation of Gifts on the 4th Sunday of Advent, paired with the Gospel Reading recounting the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary.

• Franz Schubert

Most widely known among the musical settings of the “Hail Mary,” the origin of this piece is a German folk song. Pairing with the Latin text of the Catholic prayer was a later development. This recording features soprano Renee Fleming.

• Bach/Gounod

As the second most popular solo setting, you find people referring to “the other Ave Maria”. This setting combines a piano work of J.S. Bach with a melody by Charles Gounod to set the “Hail Mary”. Rather than sifting through volumes of recordings, here’s the melody played by cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

• Jacques Arcadelt

Often viewed as a foundational choral setting, choirs find this accessible and it makes for a quicker learn. The SJB choir has made use of it as well as another choral work, Hear My Prayer, O God, that pairs the tune with a sacred text. It might be the shortest “Ave Maria” and has resulted in a need to sing it twice when used as an Offertory at mass.

• Franz Biebl

One of the most beloved choral settings, its thick sound comes from being sung by double choir, making it more challenging. While not new, the piece was given a boost by the American male choral ensemble, Chanticleer, who frequently gives concerts at our Cathedral.

• Thomas Luis de Victoria

If you listened to the chant version, you will find the opening familiar, a choral technique known as incipit. Along with Arcadelt, it is one of the older settings of the “Hail Mary”. The SJB choir has found it an interesting compliment to the Arcadelt, as polyphony gives some challenge to singers.

• Giulio Caccini

Most adult SJB parishioners have not heard this setting, as it is in the repertoire of our school liturgy choir. Some of the higher notes present challenge to young singers. Yet, some of our more musically inclined children latch on to the soaring melody.

• Philip Stopford

The SJB choir has come to love the choral writing of Philip Stopford but do not all share the same affinity for this contemporary British composer's complicated musical aesthetic.

• Daniel Kantor

You will notice the chant melody woven into the background of this congregational setting of the “Hail Mary.” If it sounds familiar, that is because, in past, it has made an annual appearance on the 4th Sunday of Advent at masses in which the choir does not sing. Enjoy choral harmonies and instruments we do not hear when it is led by instrument and cantor.

The Church’s Night Prayer or Compline (both names are used) concludes with a Marian chant.

Four texts are divided over the course of the liturgical year:

• Alma Redemptoris Mater – sung from the first Sunday of Advent, through the Christmas season, until Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd.
• Ave Regina Caelorum – sung from Presentation of the Lord, through Lent, until Holy Saturday.
• Regina Caeli – sung from Easter Sunday through Pentecost (the Easter Season)
• Salve Regina – sung from Pentecost through the summer and fall weeks of Ordinary Time until the Liturgical Calendar begins anew with the First Sunday of Advent.

Alma Redemptoris Mater

• Chant Setting

• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

This classic of choral settings is often heard as part of celebrations of Advent Lessons & Carols and is used at the beginning of the service as a bridge between Night Prayer and Lessons & Carols. This piece has become an SJB choir tradition of leading off the prelude music of Christmas Midnight Mass.

Ave Regina Caelorum

• Chant Setting

Regina Caeli

• Chant Setting

• Gregor Aichinger

As the Marian text for the Easter season, choral settings abound for use in liturgies of the Easter season. This choral setting was the first the SJB choir added to its repertoire and has become a traditional prelude piece for Mother’s Day.

• Antonio Lotti

While in many respects an easier setting than Aichinger, it has the option of being sung with double choir. The double choir part can be substituted by instruments. Plans for the Easter Sunday 2020 that wasn’t, had included this as a prelude piece with SJB choir singing choir 1 and brass functioning as choir 2.

Salve Regina

• Chant Setting

• Arvo Pärt

If you want to impress people, the term for describing the choral music of Pärt is “ethereal”. His haunting style has a way of enveloping you in the text. 

This text is drawn from St. Luke’s Gospel and is a hymn of praise it is believed was offered by Mary in response to Elizabeth’s acknowledgement that she was bearing the Savior of the World.

• Tell Out My Soul

Majestic hymn setting of the text that places the words of the entire canticle on the lips of the congregation.

• My Soul Rejoices

Sung in refrain/verse format, this setting gives a majestic treatment of the text but allows for variation by congregation and choir or cantor.

• James Chepponis

Also in refrain/verse format, this setting offers a bit more of an introspective treatment of the text, capped off with a lovely part for oboe.

• Canticle of the Turning

This congregational setting of the Magnificat takes a translation of the text done by folk/contemporary Catholic composer, Rory Cooney, and pairs it with the energetic Irish ballad, Star of the County Down. 

• Taizé

This setting is beloved of the Taizé community and makes a sung mantra out of the first phrase ("My soul magnifies the Lord"). The choral sound is sung by delaying the start by a couple of measures, known as a round. 

• Ruth Elain Schram

A choral setting for children’s voices, this is beloved by the SJB school choir. Accented with a flute part, it has made an appearance as a choral anthem for 8th grade graduation in prior years.

• John Rutter

You will notice the long duration of this multi-section work. Rutter is a leader in 20th century English choral music. You will hear in the vocal solos the soaring melodies that have made Rutter popular.

• Movement 1

• Movement 2

• Movement 3

• Movement 4

• Movement 5

• Movement 6

• Movement 7

• We Sing with Holy Mary

A newer hymn text is offered by Alan Hommerding, senior editor of World Library Publications. The text pairs with the tune THAXTED (O God, Beyond All Praising). The text grounds us in Mary’s role in the history of salvation as God-bearer. This Marian hymn is arranged by Charles Thatcher. Charles is retired music director of the Diocese of Orlando and St. James Cathedral, Orlando, FL.

• Hail, Holy Queen Enthroned Above

One of the most beloved Marian hymns, this arrangement is by Charles Thatcher and was used in one of the papal liturgies of Pope Francis’ 2015 visit to the United States.

• Immaculate Mary

Of equal popularity with Hail, Holy Queen, Immaculate Mary holds a special place in the Catholic Church in the United States. This arrangement of the hymn was done by Daniel Laginya, music director at the Catholic Cathedral in Youngstown, OH. In addition to beautiful choral writing you will also encounter the use of strings.

• Virgin Great and Glorious

Hymn setting done by Leo Nestor, former music director of the Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, DC. Text is attributed to Ephrem the Syrian, a 4th century hymn writer of the Eastern Church.

• O Holy Mary

This refrain/verse hymn reflects on that most ancient of Marian feasts, Mary as the Mother of God, known as Theotokos (“The God-bearer") in the Orthodox tradition. A lovely oboe part weaves throughout the piece.

• There Is No Rose

This text uses the metaphor of Mary as rose and recounts her bearing the Savior. The text finds its use most frequently in Advent Lessons & Carols. Here is a setting by contemporary English composer, Philip Stopford. You will notice, in addition to some Latin phrases at the end of verses, the English may sound strange as it is “Middle English”.

• Sans Day Carol

This English text offers the metaphor of the holly plant producing its berry as a means of painting Mary’s bearing the Savior. It is believed to be a 19th century text that has been set by many composers. This setting is by contemporary American choral composer, Stephen Caracciolo, current faculty at the University of Maryland – Baltimore.

• Como Estrella en Claro Cielo

A popular Marian hymn among Hispanic Catholics, Richard Proulx offers a lovely choral setting with strings. The publisher offers an English translation within the text.

• Mater Salutaris

English composer Martin Dalby makes use of what is known as “macaronic” text by using a combination of English and Latin in a setting of an ancient Marian text. He composed the setting in the early 1980’s for a high school choir but it is far from easy. Choral singers are accustomed to patterns in the way pieces are put together. Not so here. Once learned though, it is highly worth it.

• Hymn to the Virgin

Based on an anonymous English poem, also utilizing English and Latin, Benjamin Britten composed a piece that is in call-response form between choir and a quartet of singers. Britten is regarded as one of the finest English composers of the 20th century. This particular piece was composed when he was 16.

• Gaudete

A combination of a Latin refrain and English verses, we are told “Rejoice, rejoice, Christ is born of the Virgin Mary!” This Renaissance carol is set by Robert Batastini, utilizing percussion (hand-drum and finger cymbals) on refrain and handbells on verses. Its simplicity and versatility allows for a range of use, from children’s choir to adults, and its rhythmic excitement gives contrast to other pieces sung for SJB Christmas mass prelude in prior years.

• ​​The Angel Gabriel

Recounting the Annunciation, this carol often referred to as “The Basque Carol”, makes the observation that Mary is “the most highly favored lady” as the one selected to be God-bearer. This recording features an arrangement by English choral composer, Malcolm Archer.

• I Sing a Maid

Michael Joncas takes a text by M.D. Ridge and weds it with an Irish folk-tune, The Flight of the Earls. When looking at the text as a whole, we come away with an account of Mary’s role in the life of Jesus from birth to resurrection. Once at a workshop, Joncas related a presentation he gave in Ireland in which he shared the piece with attendees. He was confused as to why they were snickering. The folk-tune was used by a local soccer club for their team song...

• Litany of Mary

Tony Alonso utilizes text from the Litany of Lorretto and weds it with the refrain of Immaculate Mary.

If you would like to see it used in liturgy, here’s a video to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ annual “Celebration of Cultures Mass.” The selection begins around the 6' mark.

• Mater Eccelsiae

Composer Ricky Manalo frames the text of this piece aptly: “The text of the assembly ostinato (repeated refrain) places Mary praying with and in the midst of the gathered assembly. This is not to strip away any of the privileges Mary had received throughout her life. The theme of this song, after all, centers around her role as Mother of the Church. The cantors who sing the descants simultaneously evoke a Trinitarian theology of intercessory prayer: to God, through Jesus, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.”

• Hacia Belén/Mary Journeyed with Her Husband

Part of Hispanic Christmas custom, this song sings of Mary’s journey through the birth of the Savior.

• Mañanitas a la Virgen de Guadalupe/Morning Praises to the Virgin of Guadalupe

The traditional observance of Our Lady of Guadalupe involves arising early and beginning with an extended prayer celebration that concludes with mass.