- Schubert composed Ellens Gesang III (Hymne an die Jungfrau), aka Ave Maria D839 in April 1825.
- This is the third of Schubert’s “Ellen” songs, which appear in his cycle Sieben Gesänge aus Walter Scotts ‘Fräulein vom See’ D.837
- The cycle consists of settings of German translations of texts from Sir Walter Scott’s Lady of the Lake (1810).
- Text and translation available here.
- Schubert and his friend, baritone Johann Michael Vogl, frequently performed this song (Vogl singing, Schubert at the piano.) The two had no problem performing songs with a female narrator.
- Quote from Schubert, describing his performances with Vogl, from the summer of 1825 (the year he wrote “Ave Maria”). Schubert and Vogl were travelling around western Austria at the time, and performing at their many travel destinations. “The manner in which Vogl sings and the way I accompany, as though we were one at such a moment, is something quite new and unheard-of for these people.” 1
Sources
- Maurice Brown, J.E., Eric Sams, and Robert Winter, “Schubert, Franz,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed January 22, 2020, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000025109.
Cut IDs
45315