This edition was prepared by James Gibb — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Ave maris stella
Staff Notation • Sacred, Motets, Office hymns
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2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
SATB · Federico Raffaelli
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Ave maris stella by Francesco Soriano — Lyrics
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,
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About Ave maris stella
This setting of the well-known Marian antiphon Ave maris stella opens with a gentle, flowing homophonic texture, soon giving way to a more imitative polyphony that builds towards the text 'Felix caeli porta'. The music reflects the reverence and beauty of the Latin words, which address Mary as 'star of the sea', 'nourishing Mother of God', and 'ever Virgin', the 'happy gate of heaven'. The composer weaves the voices of this SATB motet into a rich sonority, mirroring the plea for peace and the transformation of Eve's name. The hymn's prayer for deliverance from sin and for safe passage to see Jesus is treated with devotion, concluding with a doxology to the Trinity.
