Franz Schubert 's Ellens dritter Gesang ( D839 , Op 52 no 6 , 1825 ) is often misidentified as `` Schubert 's Ave Maria '' because it opens with the greeting `` Ave Maria '' ( `` Hail Mary '' ) , even though it is not a setting of the traditional Ave Maria prayer . Franz Schubert 's Ellens dritter Gesang ( D839 , Op 52 no 6 , 1825 ) is often performed with the Ave Maria prayer sung in place of the original text ; this is misidentified as `` Schubert 's Ave Maria '' .