▁song ▁from ▁the ▁Saint ▁Mart ial ▁school ▁( the ▁ch antry ▁of ▁the ▁Ab bey ▁of ▁Saint ▁Mart ial ▁at ▁Lim og es ) ▁that ▁is ▁entirely ▁in ▁the ▁vern ac ular ▁( h aving ▁no ▁Latin ▁st anza ▁or ▁ref rain ) ▁and ▁the ▁only ▁medieval ▁Occ itan ▁song ▁with ▁ext ant ▁musical ▁notation ▁for ▁all ▁its ▁( tw elve ) ▁st anz as . ▁It ▁dates ▁to ▁the ▁ 1 0 9 0 s ▁and ▁is ▁preserved ▁in ▁MS ▁f . ▁lat . ▁ 1 1 3 9 ▁of ▁the ▁Bibliothèque ▁nationale ▁de ▁France . ▁It ▁has ▁been ▁translated ▁into ▁English . ▁ ▁A ▁lit urg ical ▁song , ▁O ▁Maria ▁was ▁designed ▁to ▁communicate ▁sacred ▁truth ▁to ▁the ▁people ▁in ▁a ▁language ▁they ▁could ▁understand , ▁although ▁usually ▁this ▁was ▁done ▁through ▁a ▁mixture ▁of ▁Latin ▁and ▁vern ac ular ▁vers es . ▁The ▁mel ody ▁of ▁the ▁piece ▁basically ▁repe ats ▁for ▁each ▁st anza ▁with ▁only ▁minor ▁variations . ▁The ▁later ▁songs ▁of ▁the ▁trou bad ours , ▁composed ▁in ▁the ▁same ▁style , ▁were ▁never ▁trans cribed ▁with ▁more ▁than ▁one ▁st anza ▁of ▁music . ▁It ▁has ▁been ▁suggested ▁that , ▁like ▁O ▁Maria , ▁subsequent ▁st anz as ▁were ▁mel od ically ▁similar ▁with ▁only ▁minor ▁variations . ▁Similar ities ▁have ▁been ▁drawn ▁between ▁the ▁music ▁of ▁O ▁Maria ▁and ▁that ▁of ▁a ▁nin th - century ▁h ymn ▁to ▁the ▁Virgin , ▁A ve ▁mar is ▁st ella ▁(" H ail , ▁star ▁of