The importance of this is for the rule of text emphasis. Īlthough some of the text corresponds with the first translation, some are “out of order” in the English. Consider the word for word translation for Ave Maria:įructus ventris tui. The reason is when an English translation is set to music, it has to make logistical sense, so some words are rearranged or changed to fit the music and language. This is usually different from the English translation given in sheet music. If the singer is not familiar with the foreign language, how does he or she know the meaning of each word, and how to pronounce the text? To answer the first question, common songs have word for word translations.

The topic of translation brings up interesting problems. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.Īnd blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. The text of Ave Maria is from the Catholic prayer “Hail Mary.” The full Latin lyrics, along with the prayer, are:Įt benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.

There are many melodies that set this text, but we will explore one of those in this lesson. For couples getting married in a church, there is some desire for a traditional wedding song.

Hail mary in latin pronunciation