"Ave Maria" is a song composed by Franz Schubert in 1825 as part of his Op. 52, a setting of seven songs from Walter Scotts 1810 popular narrative poem "The Lady of the Lake," loosely translated into German). The song is also known as "Ellens Third Song" and is a prayer to the Virgin Mary). The opening words and refrain of Ellens song, namely "Ave Maria" (Latin for "Hail Mary"), may have led to the idea of adapting Schuberts melody as a setting for the full text of the traditional Roman Catholic prayer, "Ave Maria"). However, Schubert never actually wrote a piece called "Ave Maria". Despite this, the song has become one of Schuberts most popular works and has been recorded by numerous artists, with lyrics that largely differ from the original poem. The Latin version of the "Ave Maria" is now so commonly used with Schuberts melody that it has led to the misconception that he originally wrote the melody as a setting for the "Ave Maria" prayer).