"Ave Satani" is the theme song to the film ''
The Omen
''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spencer ...
'' (1976) composed by
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer and conductor known for his work in film and television scoring. He composed scores for five films in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and three in the Rambo (franchise) ...
. ''The Omen'' won the
Academy Award for Best Original Score
The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by t ...
, with ''Ave Satani'' nominated for
Best Original Song.
History
The Latinized title translates to "
Hail Satan
''Hail Satan'', sometimes Latinized as ''Ave Satanas'' or ''Ave Satana'', is an exclamation used by some Satanists to invoke the name of Satan in contexts ranging from sincere expression to comedy or satire. The Satanic Temple uses the phrase ...
" in English. In an interview, Goldsmith says that his idea was to create a kind of Satanic version of a
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe durin ...
and came up with ideas while talking with the London choir-master of the orchestra who was helping him. He decided to create something like a
Black Mass, inverting Latin phrases from the
Latin Mass. The choir-master, according to Goldsmith, was an expert in Latin and helped him come up with phrases; instead of saying "Hail Mary", they decided on "Hail Satan", and so on. The song contains various Latin phrases inverting Christ and the Mass, such as "Ave Versus Christi", meaning "Hail Anti-Christ", and "Corpus Satani", an inversion of "Corpus Christi", the body of Christ. The resulting lyrics are an inversion of the Roman Catholic rite of the
consecration and elevation of the body and blood of Christ during the Mass.
A version of the song has been produced by the band
Fantômas
Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914).
One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appear ...
, who altered some of the lyrics to mean "smallest blood, body spirit" rather than "we drink the blood, we eat the flesh," and adding the word "rotted". Other versions of the original song have been performed by the Italian vocalist Servio Tulio, and by
Gregorian. The song has been used in mixes of sinister music including the album ''Oculus Infernum'' by
Van Helsing's Curse
Van Helsing's Curse is a side project, orchestra of Twisted Sister lead singer, Dee Snider. Along with Snider, the group featured a five-piece rock band, a six-piece choir, and six-piece string section.
History
Snider came up with the idea for th ...
, featuring
Dee Snider
Daniel "Dee" Snider (born March 15, 1955)Tayler, LettaTwisted Sister's Dee Snider remembers his challenging Long Island upbringing "Newsday", March 15, 2016Archived here/ref> is an American singer, songwriter, radio personality, and actor. He w ...
.
Lyrics
The choir master's Latin contains a number of errors. Below are the Latin phrases which are repeated throughout the music,
with their intended meaning, and a more correct Latin version:
See also
*''
The Omen
''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spencer ...
''
*
Satanism
Satanism is a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on Satan. Contemporary religious practice of Satanism began with the founding of the atheistic Church of Satan by Anton LaVey in the United States in 1966, although a few hi ...
*
Black Mass
*
Ave Satanas
''Hail Satan'', sometimes Latinized as ''Ave Satanas'' or ''Ave Satana'', is an exclamation used by some Satanists to invoke the name of Satan in contexts ranging from sincere expression to comedy or satire. The Satanic Temple uses the phrase ...
References
{{Authority control
1976 songs
1976 compositions
Compositions by Jerry Goldsmith
Songs with music by Jerry Goldsmith
Choral compositions
Horror fiction
Film theme songs
The Omen (franchise)
Latin-language songs