Ave Maria

When a choir takes on a Renaissance motet like Jacobus Clemens 'non papa's setting of the "Ave Maria," the rehearsal room shifts into a different gear. This is classical polyphony at its most serene. Instead of a single melody with block chords underneath, the four voice parts weave independently, passing the familiar Latin words of the Hail Mary back and forth. The soprano line floats above, but every section has its own vital role in building the harmony.

We often bring out pieces like this for Marian feast days or during the Offertory, when the liturgy calls for something contemplative and deeply reverent. Singing "genuisti qui te fecit" (you gave birth to him who made you) in this layered, echoing style creates a sense of awe. It demands careful listening and breath control from the singers, but when the voices finally align on those closing phrases—"et in ætérnum permánes Virgo"—the resulting sound brings a profound stillness to the entire congregation.