This edition was prepared by Byrt Janssen — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Ave Maris Stella
Staff Notation • Sacred, Office hymns
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Ave Maris Stella by Guillaume Dufay — 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
Guillaume Dufay's setting of the Marian antiphon Ave Maris Stella is a cornerstone of late medieval sacred music. This SAB arrangement brings the familiar plainsong melody and its devotional text to life with Dufay's characteristic harmonic richness. The text itself, a prayer to Mary as the star of the sea, mother of God, and ever-virgin gate of heaven, asks for her intercession to bring peace, light, and purity to the faithful. It traces her role from the Annunciation, when Gabriel's greeting began the process of salvation, to her position as a gentle intercessor for humanity. This piece offers a profound connection to a long tradition of Marian devotion, expressed through Dufay's masterful Renaissance polyphony.
