Notes

Ave Maria was composed in memory of Tío Gerardo, who passed away in 2021 aged just 54. He was a remarkable person, universally loved not just by my family but by everyone he ever met. Although he and I had very different religious views, we had a close relationship, and I set the “Ave Maria,” one of his favorite prayers, as a way of processing grief.

In this setting, the first choir represents the divine, singing the traditional text in Latin, a language no longer spoken daily but associated with rituals and religion. The second choir (distant or offstage if possible, or a quartet of soloists) represents humanity, performing the prayer in Spanish, as I heard it throughout my childhood.

After the human choir calls upon God with the first word, the divine choir leads the way. The human choir repeats very similar content a beat or two behind, creating a smeared texture and harmony. At the climax (“Santa Maria”), the roles reverse, with the human choir now taking the lead role. Upon reaching the final set of Amens, the roles are reinvented one last time, saying the words together.

Text

Dios te salve María, llena eres de gracia, el Señor es contigo.
Bendita eres entre todas las mujeres
y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús.
Santa María, Madre de Dios,
ruega por nosotros pecadores,
ahora y en la hora

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Performances and Recordings

• 4 May 2024: Jameson Singers at First Church in Cambridge (Cambridge, MA)

• 5 May 2024: Jameson Singers at Second Church in Newton (Newton, MA)