This question about the Ave Maria by Franz Schubert is in reference to my previous Ave Maria Lyrics post.
Great post! Just the info I was looking for.
I am getting married in a Catholic ceremony in a few months, and my soon to be wife had the idea of me singing Ave Maria during the ceremony as she presents Mary with flowers. In my searching the intarwebs, I came across someone who posted that Ave Maria is rarely sung by tenors and practically never by baritones.
My questions are:
1. Is this really true?
2. Is it inappropriate for a male to sing Ave Maria due to the original context of the lyrics?
3. If it is, does it even matter these days because it is more widely known in it’s Latin incarnation?
4. Is it ok for me to actually do that? (by “that†I mean do the singing during the ceremony while my wife does her thing with Mary)
Thanks for any help you can throw my way. I’ll be subscribing to your RSS feeds!
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Hi Tony,
Here are answers to your questions. I am Protestant, not Catholic, but I don’t think that should have much bearing on my answers since the piece was originally secular.
1. Is this really true?
Yes. The Ave Maria by Franz Schubert is most commonly sung by a female voice. But there is no reason it cannot be sung by a Baritone or Tenor. Common Baritone key for Ave Maria is A flat major. Most of the great tenors have recorded this piece at one time or another. When performing this piece with the Latin lyric text there is no definition of gender for the performer. Either female and male can sing the Latin text.
2. Is it inappropriate for a male to sing Ave Maria due to the original context of the lyrics?
If you are singing this song in a church setting, you should probably use the Latin lyrics. The Latin lyrics were added later for this purpose.
3. If it is, does it even matter these days because it is more widely known in it’s Latin incarnation?
See answer to #2. The original German lyrics makes it a secular piece, part of a song cycle. The Latin lyrics make it appropriate for use in a church service.
4. Is it ok for me to actually do that? (by “that†I mean do the singing during the ceremony while my wife does her thing with Mary)
Unless there is a Catholic-specific reason not to do this, then yes I would think it to be ok. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like this piece. Although it’s commonly associated as a Catholic piece for obvious reasons, it’s performed just as much in Protestant and non-denominational settings and to my experience always welcomed with open arms.
So my vote, from a Luther-loving Protestant, is to do the piece. What a great thing to share during the wedding!