Thursday, April 28, 2011

FRANZ PETER SCHUBERT: ELLENS DRITTER GESANG.

In 1825 Franz Schubert wrote his Opus 52, which contains seven songs inspired by Walter Scott's epic poem The Lady of the Lake, and which was translated into German by Adam Storck. Over time, the popular misconception has arisen that this is a purely religious song, and as such it has become known as Schubert's Ave Maria. In reality he labeled it Ellens dritter Gesang, Ellen's third song, and although it indeed begins with Ave Maria, and is dedicated to the Holy Virgin, its context is more worldly, describing the 'Lady of the Lake', Ellen Douglas, calling from a cave in the Scottish Highlands upon the Virgin Mary to help her and her exiled father.





In 1999, my wife and I asked the priest to play this during our Wedding Mass.


Read more about Schubert here.


Photobucket



Dead White Male.


MFBB.

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