Ave Maria

This is one of three early renaissance Marian motets, along with Mouton's Nesciens Mater and de la Rue's Gaude Virgo, edited by Ross Duffin. It is a classic example of this great composer's balanced unfolding of motifs, with two-part paired imitation followed by four-voice imitative sections and punctuations in homophony. Especially, striking is the personal supplication at the end, in the words "O rnater dei, memento mei."

Fazer Editions of Early Music is a choral series under the editorial supervision of Paul Hillier, founder and artistic director of the renowned Hilliard Ensemble. Although each title in this series is the result of careful scholarly research and is a reliable source for musicologists, the series' main purpose is to make practical performing editions available to choirs and other vocal ensembles. The original C clefs have been replaced by G and F clefs and the note values adapted to conform to modern practice. All the works in the series are intended for mixed voices. Each title includes a lengthy introduction in English and notes on the editorial principles. Where necessary, an English translation of the text and a guide to pronunciation are provided.