My new track, Ave Maria (For Silent Thoughts) debuted on April 26, 2024. This modern setting of the traditional Marian chant features the Gregorian Chant main melody on piano. Surrounding the melody, an ambient treatment surrounds the track with atmospheres and a chamber group/synthesizer soundscape.
Azure Hills Music contains affiliate links and is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you when you purchase using one of these Amazon links. Read our disclaimer and privacy policy for more information.
Listen to Ave Maria (For Silent Thoughts)
Composing Ave Maria (For Silent Thoughts)
The upcoming album I Might Be Praying is a spiritual journey, featuring devotional musical settings that are designed to accompany the silent thought of prayer. Each track, with its 7-fold and 10-fold repetitive patterns echoing a rosary prayer, is a step on this journey. The setting of the Ave Maria, in particular, serves as a musical prayer bead, guiding you through your contemplation.
Similar to the entire album, this track gives a nod to the silent thoughts that were contemplated by Isabel Vaughan-Spruce who stood silently on a street in Birmingham, England.
The track’s opening includes sounds from the street, as may have been heard from a person standing on an urban street, alone with the thoughts in their mind. An atmosphere of deep orchestral and synthetic tones sets a foundation for this musical prayer. The piano carries the melody of the Ave Maria chant, accompanied by elements of harp and supporting instruments. At the conclusion of the track, we briefly return to the sound of the street.
Recording Ave Maria (For Silent Thoughts)
The session for Ave Maria (For Silent Thoughts) was prepared in Logic Pro X.
Instrumentation used on Ave Maria (For Silent Thoughts):
Ashlight (Kontakt)
Augmented Voices (Arturia)
Cello (Session Strings Pro 2)
Harp (Kontakt)
Percussion (Kontakt)
Piano – Recorded on Kawai RX-6 grand piano with Shure KSM-137 small condenser microphones
Polaris (Spitfire)
Urban soundscape
Background on the Ave Maria Chant
The “Ave Maria” prayer is a deeply revered Christian hymn dedicated to the Virgin Mary, combining text from the biblical greeting of the Angel Gabriel and a later Christian petition. As a Gregorian chant, it exemplifies the meditative and solemn qualities of plainchant, characterized by its monophonic melody and free-flowing, modal rhythm.
Typically performed in Latin, the chant is often sung unaccompanied in a church setting, creating an atmosphere of reverence and tranquility. The simplicity of its musical structure—using a single melodic line without harmonic accompaniment—allows the sacred words to resonate clearly, making it a poignant expression of devotion and faith.
The “Ave Maria” prayer is a cornerstone of Catholic devotion, frequently recited as an independent act of piety and an integral part of the Rosary. In the Rosary, it is repeated multiple times in a series of decades, each consisting of one “Our Father,” ten “Hail Marys,” and a “Glory Be,” meditatively reflecting on the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary. This prayer’s widespread use in Catholic worship underscores its spiritual significance and role in fostering a personal connection with Mary and her intercessory power.
The Ave Maria Prayer
In Latin:
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
In English:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
#avemaria #avemariachant #silentthoughts
More music from “I Might Be Praying”
You might also enjoy learning about and listening to Seven Sorrows (For The Innocents) – another track from the album I Might Be Praying.