Prelude
RCA Victor Orchestra Lyrics

The lyrics of the song "Ave Maria" is one of the most iconic and well-known hymns in Christian religious music. The song is a Latin prayer that honors the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. The prayer starts with the lines "Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum," which translates to "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you." The prayer then goes on to acknowledge Mary's blessedness and asks for her intercession, to "pray for us sinners, now and in the hour of our death."

What makes the song even more famous is its various adaptations and arrangements by numerous composers, including Franz Schubert, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Charles Gounod. Schubert's adaptation of "Ave Maria" is perhaps the most well-known and performed, and it has become a staple in classical music and often played at weddings and other religious gatherings. The RCA Victor Orchestra's version of "Ave Maria" is an instrumental adaptation of Schubert's version, retaining the emotional and spiritual essence of the prayer but without the lyrics.