Hail Mary (op. 97e1, 1993)
Motet for 6-8-part mixed choir a cappella
Dedicated to the memory of my sister Erika
6-8 mixed choir a cappella
Duration: 3 minutes
Würzburg Cathedral Choir | Siegfried Koesler
Title: Ave Maria f. 6-8 mixed voices - Length: 4 pages - Date: 20.5.93 - Location:
Schott C 53714 / ISMN: 979-0-001-17092-5
First edition: Feuchtinger & Gleichauf, Regensburg 1994
Gegrüßest seist du, Maria, voll der Gnade,
der Herr ist mit dir.
Du bist gebenedeit unter den Frauen,
und gebenedeit ist die Frucht deines Leibes, Jesus.
Heilige Maria, Mutter Gottes,
bitte für uns Sünder
jetzt und in der Stunde unseres Todes.
Amen.
Translation:
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
You are blessed among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Bertold Hummel composed the motet Gegrüßet seist du Maria on 20 May 1993 and dedicated it to the memory of his deeply devout sister Erika (1904 -1993). My father, who also co-founded the Würzburg Bruckner Festival in the same year, consciously understood this motet as a salute to Anton Bruckner, whose famous 7-part Ave Maria it echoes: In the first section, both composers chose the juxtaposition of upper and lower voices, and on the name of Jesus, Bertold Hummel quotes Bruckner's final cadence before the Amen. In 1997, he created a Latin version based on this model.(Ave Maria op. 97e2)
The text of this so-called English greeting is based on passages from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1, 28b, 42), which were expanded over time to include additions such as Jesus (14th century) and the invocation of Mary (16th century). In 1568 it was officially recognised as a prayer when it was included in the breviary of Pius V. The German translation set to music here corresponds to the ecumenical version in use since 1968.
Martin Hummel