Dios Te Salve, María, are the first words of the “Hail Mary” in Spanish. This song is sung as part of the march called “Encarnación Coronada,” written by Abel Moreno in 1994.
Each year it is performed during Holy Week in Seville in homage to a beautiful and very old statue of Our Lady called Esperanza de Triana (Hope of Triana, a neighborhood of Seville). This statue of Our Lady (pictured below) was declared in 1421 as “the most beautiful Virgin of Seville and of the universe.”
The processions with this statue are led by the Hermandad (Brotherhood) de Esperanza de Triana (1), which dates back to the 15th century. In medieval Spain,
brotherhoods were formed by the faithful belonging to one or several
guilds
– of sailors, fishermen, etc. They had the expressed goal of propagating devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady or a patron Saint – often associated with a particular statue – whose name they adopted as their own. Some brotherhoods were dedicated to the promotion of a penitential spirit.
This song was composed in the latter part of the 20th century and is a quite spirited march, providing a beautiful example not only of
organic society, but also of the nobility, virile piety and excellence that are proper to religious processions.
Dios te Salve, María, is here interpreted by the Coro de Julio Pardo, taken from a live performance (here) during the 2019 Holy Week procession in Seville. The singing starts at the 2:45 mark in the video, but we encourage watching it all (4 minutes), to see how Our Lady's throne is lifted and carried by strong men..
Listen to Dios Te Salve, María
Lyrics:
Spanish lyrics:
Dios Te Salve María,
Llena eres de gracia,
El Señor es contigo
Y bendita Tu eres.
Entre todas las mujeres,
Entre todas las mujeres,
Y bendito es el fruto
De Tu vientre, Jesús.
English translation:
Hail Mary,
Full of grace,
The Lord is with Thee.
Blessed art Thou
Amongst women,
Amongst women,
And blessed is the fruit
Of Thy womb, Jesus.
For the version heard above arranged for tenors and basses, click here.
Their full, official title is “La Pontificia, Real e Ilustre Hermandad y Archicofradía de Nazarenos del Santísimo Sacramento y de la Pura y Limpia Concepción de la Santísima Virgen María, del Santísimo Cristo de las Tres Caídas, Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza y San Juan Evangelista”, which can be translated to: The Pontifical, Royal and Illustrious Brotherhood and Arch-Cofradía of Nazarenes of the Most Holy Sacrament and of the Pure and Clean Conception of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, of the Most Holy Christ of the Three Falls, Our Lady of Hope and of St. John the Evangelist.
