Charles Gounod
Ave Maria
Gounod had no qualms about arranging well-known works by earlier masters after his own fashion. Thus in 1852 he added a melody with its own operatic climax to the famous arpeggios of the C-major Prelude BWV 846 from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. He first published instrumental versions of it under the title “Méditation”, then tried fitting various texts to the melody until in 1859 he arrived at the definitive vocal version using the text of the Ave Maria. Already by the 1890s it was claimed that “[we] have heard this sweet melody innumerable times from the best lady singers”, and its popularity has continued to the present day. Reason enough, then, for Henle Verlag to publish an Urtext edition of this worldwide hit, based on the sources and with appropriate critical commentary.
In 1859, at the same time as the original edition for high voice, editions for middle and low voice, presumably commissioned by the publishers, were also issued. Following this model, the Henle Urtext edition of “Ave Maria” is also offered in two transpositions for the lower register.
About the Composer
Johann Sebastian Bach
For many musicians he is “the Alpha and Omega of all music” (Max Reger). Except for operas, Bach composed masterpieces for every ensemble and genre of his age. His catalogue of works contains almost 1,100 entries, including the great Passions of St. Matthew and St. Johan, the Goldberg Variations, the Brandenburg Concerti, or hundreds of singular cantatas. As organist in Mühlhausen and Weimar he creates primarily organ compositions, concerti, and works of chamber music. Later, as music director in Köthen and for the decades he serves as cantor in Leipzig, he composes chiefly sacred vocal compositions and keyboard works. His later, contrapuntally complex compositions exert an enormous influence on the compositional styles and practices of later generations.
Charles Gounod
One of the most important French composers of the Second Empire, who in his twelve operas, masses, and other liturgical works, oratorios, songs, and instrumental music consciously composed his music in a French style.
Product Safety Informations (GPSR)
G. Henle Verlag
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81476 München
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www.henle.com