“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 t
