Te x t :
Av e , m a r i s s t e l l a ,
D e i m a t e r a l m a , a t q u e s e m p e r v i rg o , f e l i x c œ l i p o r t a .
S u m e n s i l l u d " Av e "
G a br i e l i s o re ,
f u n d a n o s i n p a c e ,
m u t a n s E v æ n o m e n
S o l v e v i n c l a re i s , p ro f e r l u m e n c æ c i s ,
m a l a n o s t r a p e l l e ,
bo n a c u n c t a p o s c e
M o n s t r a t e e s s e m a t re m ,
s u m a t p e r t e p re c e m
q u i p ro n o bi s n a t u s
t u l i t e s s e t u u s .
Vi rg o s i n g u l a r i s ,
i n t e r o m n e s m i t i s ,
n o s c u l p i s s o l u t o s
m i t e s f a c e t c a s t o s .
Vi t a m p r æ s t a p u r a m ,
i t e r p a r a t u t u m ,
ut v i d e n t e s Je s u m
s e m p e r c o l l æ t e m u r
S i t l a u s D e o P a t r i ,
s u m m o C hr i s t o d e c u s ,
S p i r i t u i S a n c t o
t r i bu s ho n o r u n u s . A m e n .
Tr a n s l a t i o n :
H a i l , s t a r o f t he s e a ,
N u r t u r i n g M o t he r o f G o d ,
A n d e v e r Vi rg i n
H a p p y g a t e o f H e a v e n
R e c e i v i n g t ha t " Av e "
F ro m t he m o u t h o f G a br i e l ,
E s t a bl i s h u s i n p e a c e ,
Tr a n s f o r m i n g t he n a m e o f E v e .
L o o s e n t he c ha i n s o f t he g u i l t y,
S e n d f o r t h l i g ht t o t he bl i n d ,
O u r e v i l d o t ho u d i s p e l ,
E n t re a t f o r u s a l l g o o d t hi n g s .
S ho w t hys e l f t o be a M o t he r :
T hro u g h t he e m a y he re c e i v e p r a ye r
W ho , be i n g bo r n f o r u s ,
U n d e r t o o k t o be t hi n e o w n
O u n i q u e Vi rg i n ,
M e e k a bo v e a l l o t he r s ,
S e t u s f re e f ro m s i n ,
M e e k a n d c ha s t e .
B e s t o w a p u re l i f e ,
P re p a re a s a f e w a y:
T ha t s e e i n g Je s u s ,
We m a y e v e r re jo i c e .
P r a i s e be t o G o d t he F a t he r,
To t he M o s t H i g h C hr i s t be g l o r y,
To t he H o l y S p i r i t
B e ho n o u r, t o t he T hre e e q u a l l y A m e n
O P R A N O
E N O R
A S S
About the Composer:
Duncan Tuomi (b. 1994) is a choral conductor and award-winning composer based in Los Angeles, California. He currently studies choral music in the Doctor of Musical Arts program at the University of Southern California (USC), where he also completed his Master of Music degree. In addition to his choral music degree, he studied composition with Dr. Frank Ticheli and Dr. Chris Rozé. He also holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Music Education from St. Olaf College, where he studied under Dr. Anton Armstrong and Dr. Christopher Aspaas, among many others.
As a composer, Tuomi was the winner of the 2023 American Prize in Short Choral Works, College and University Division, as well as the 2021 American Choral Director’s Association’s Raymond W. Brock Memorial Student Composition Competition. He was also a composition fellow in Choral Arts Initiative’s summer 2022 PREMIERE|Project. Tuomi has had works premiered by Choral Arts Initiative under the direction of Brandon Elliott, the USC Thornton Chamber Singers and University Chorus under his own direction and under the direction of Stevie J. Hirner, the Long Beach Youth Chorus under the direction of Stevie J. Hirner, the University of Portland Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Michael Connolly, the Pacific University Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Scott Tuomi. He has received commissions from the Long Beach Youth Chorus and was commissioned to compose for the 10th annual Brothers, Sing On! Tenor/Bass Choir Festival in 2018.
About the Piece:
“Ave Maris Stella, in its construction, mimics the flow of tides, both in smaller phrases, and in the overall layout of the music. The aquatic nature of the music lends itself to the description of the Virgin Mary as the ‘star of the sea’ in the first words of the piece. The primary and secondary themes of the piece, while simple and similar to one another, receive new treatment each time they emerge, mirroring the complexity of tidal motion. These themes are largely delineated by the way they treat the musical meter.
In stanzas where the text addresses matters of the world, such as the initial hailing of Mary, the pleas to be free from evil and sin, and the final praising, the meter changes frequently. This imitates the manner in which waves become less predictable as they approach shore. In return, stanzas that center on more heavenly matters, such as references to angels and Christ, have a more predictable 4/4 meter, as the waves of the deeper ocean flow more rhythmically and serenely. The end result has the piece orbiting between the ‘shore’ and the ‘deep sea’, following the text’s own orbit between earth and heaven respectively.”