Ave Maria (Instrumental)
Ave Maria (Time: 3:06)
In 1825, Franz Schubert composed “Ellen’s Third Song”, one of several musical creations based upon Walter Scott’s epic poem “The Lady of the Lake”, in which Scott’s fictional character Ellen Douglas is in exile when her clan goes off to fight the army of King James.
Ellen prays to Virgin Mary asking for help during the battle, and Schubert’s creation is a musical interpretation of that prayer. The original version was without religious overtones, however possibly due to the beginning “Hail Mary”, the composition soon became solemn, religious and written in Latin.
While music historians have debated the when and why of its transformation from Ellen’s Third song to a religious prayer, the Ave Maria stands today at the pinnacle of musical creations. It has been a while since I recorded Ave Maria but personally I consider it the most beautiful piece of music I have heard.
My Approach to Recording Ave Maria
This is a most sacred hymn, and so maintaining its integrity exactly as its been recorded classically, but doing so with acoustic country instruments was my goal.
I used the famous Pavarotti track as a guide for tempo and the overall orchestral approach. The classical guitar gave some consistency while the main guitar drove the piece. I remember that there were something like 12 chords in Ave Maria as I recorded it.
From Album: An Acoustic Country Christmas, 2014
Composition: Franz Schubert
Performance: Instrumental Version by Paul Ryan
Website: https://www.Ryantunes.com
Cover Photo: Album Cover, Sheila Ryan
Recorded at Ryantunes Studios Scarborough Ontario, Canada. Mixed and mastered at Steve Sherman Productions, Toronto.
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Proprietary: Copyright Paul Ryan, 2014. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, copying or use of this recording are prohibited by law, and subject to criminal prosecution.
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