Views from the Choir Loft

Ten “Ave Maria” Settings from Different Lands

Dr. Lucas Tappan · May 12, 2017

AST SUNDAY the Most Pure Heart of Mary Schola Cantorum (both our adult and children choirs combined) presented a musical reflection on a Decade of the Most Holy Rosary in honor of the 100th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady of Fatima. (The choir will repeat this concert next Saturday at 6 p.m. at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Basehor, KS, for those interested.)

The program began with the plainsong Pater noster followed by ten settings of the Ave Maria from different eras and lands before closing with Stanford’s setting of Psalm 150 and the Doxology. I thought I would share a few of the Ave Maria recordings from the day, which I hope you enjoy!

* * 2. AVE MARIA (Plainsong)

This chant provides the melodic material for Victoria’s setting.

* * 3. AVE MARIA attr. to Fr. Victoria (d. 1611)

Conducted by my assistant John Deahl.

* * 5. AVE MARIA by Colin Mawby (b. 1936)

Composed specifically for the Most Pure Heart of Mary Schola Cantorum.

* * 7. AVE MARIA by Matthew Martin (b. 1976)

Sung by Choristers only.

* * 9. AVE MARIA by Rachmaninoff (d. 1943)

Conducted by my assistant John Deahl.

* * 10. AVE MARIA by Charlie Wulke

This work was newly composed by our school music teacher for the concert!

* * 11. AVE MARIA by Gabriel Fauré (d. 1924)

Like Beethoven, Fauré was deaf as he grew older.

Many of our families are devoted to the Rosary, and the children enjoyed this musical “decade of the Rosary.”

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

About Dr. Lucas Tappan

Dr. Lucas Tappan is a conductor and organist whose specialty is working with children. He lives in Kansas with his wife and four children.—(Read full biography).

Luis Martínez Must Go!

Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

—Jeff Ostrowski

Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!

A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!

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“Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)

I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Pope Pius XII Hymnal?

Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.

—Corpus Christi Watershed

“Hybrid” Chant Notation?

Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.

—Corpus Christi Watershed

Antiphons Don’t Match?

A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).

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