My Top 5 Marian Hymns

[BCRanger10]

My Top 5 Marian Hymns

In light of the complaints I often hear about the current state of popular music these days, and since May 13th, the date of this posting, commemorates Our Lady of Fatima, I thought I’d offer a few examples of timeless music, hymns and chants dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. These are songs which require no auto-tuning, overproduction, egotistical performers, or any one of a number of other issues frequently brought up.

Though these are presented in a countdown format, they really are in no particular order, because honestly, I can’t decide which one of these I would legitimately consider my “favorite”!

5) Ave Maris Stella (“Hail, Star of the Sea”); Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

The title card of the provided video attributes the hymn to Saint Bernard of Claivaux, though other sources suggest other authors as well.

If you are interested, there is another version that you can find on the Sensus Fidelium YouTube page.

4) Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above - Johann Georg Seidenbusch

Originally written by German priest, Johann Georg Seidenbisch in the late 17th Century, several different melodies have supported this hymn. One of the most well-known versions, which I will provide here, first appeared in 1736 in a hymnal in Hildesheim (present-day Germany).

This version was performed by the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of Apostles, whose abbey is located in Gower, Missouri.

3) Ave Maria – Jacques Arcadelt/Pierre-Louis Dietsch

This “Ave Maria” is based on Belgian composer Jacques Arcadelt’s madrigal Nous voyons que les homme, originally composed in approximately 1554 and featuring only three vocal parts. In 1842, French composer Pierre-Louis Dietsch adapted the tune into a Marian hymn by slightly revising the existing parts, adding a fourth vocal part (bass), and replacing the French lyrics with the Latin text of the Hail Mary prayer.

2) Regina Coeli Laetare (“Queen of Heaven, Rejoice”) – Antonio Lotti

The Regina Coeli prayer was first composed approximately in the 12th Century, though the author is unknown. It is typically prayed during the Easter season, which lasts from Easter Sunday until Pentecost.

The version provided here, sung by the Halpin family of Eaton, California upon returning to the site of their home destroyed by the wildfires of early 2025, is, thus far, my favorite. Oddly enough, they sound more coordinated and on-key than some of the other choirs’ versions I searched. But moreover, there is something hauntingly beautiful about a family lifting their hearts and voices to God, even in the midst of suffering such as this.

1) Ave Maria – Franz Schubert

Schubert’s Ave Maria was not intended as a work to be set aside for Catholic devotion. It was written along with several other songs as an adaptation of Sir Walter Scott’s epic poem, The Lady of the Lake. During the story, one of the characters, Ellen Douglas, is overheard singing a song to the Blessed Virgin Mary the song begins with the words “Ave Maria”, but then follow the translated German text of the poem. As with Arcadelt’s song noted above however, the Latin text of the actual prayer was added later.

This version performed by the great Italian tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, is my favorite.

And this concludes my list of my favorite Marian hymns. If you listened to and liked any of these, I’m interested to know your thoughts. One way or another though, I thank you very much for your time. God bless and I hope you have a great day!

Published on May 13, 2025, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

[strateguy632]

Do you have hymns for other dead people, paul? Matthew? They have souls.

[purplepoppy]

I'm only familiar with the pavorati one, I didn't know they were a type of hymn

[WonderingManII]

I'm not Catholic, so I don't know these.