As 8/15 is a feast day in many Christian traditions celebrating Mary, I’m going to take that opportunity to highlight some of my favorite pieces of music honoring her. There is a rich history of Ave Marias by some of history’s greatest composers.
Beginning with the most recent, Franz Biebl wrote a stunning setting for the text. Written in the 1950s, it hadn’t received attention until just the last couple decades. It has rather humble origins, being composed for a firemen’s choir in Munich. It is a piece full of peace and introspection.
Next, we’ll move to Edward Elgar’s setting of Ave Maria. I was actually unfamiliar with this rendition before researching for this essay. He was 30 when he wrote it, making it one of the earliest works we have by him. I’m always fascinated by early works by composers. Generally composers don’t find their unique voice until after they have been composing for a while, and so the earlier works are more of a tapestry of their influences. There is a bit more passion in this setting than the Biebl, but at the same time a very reserved nature to it.
I of course couldn’t not write on the most famous Ave Marias without including the Schubert and the Bach/Gonoud. Surprisingly neither piece was actually intended to be an Ave Maria! The Schubert song was about an exiled father and daughter. The father is about to go into battle, the daughter hears a distant harp and sings a prayer to Mary pleading for her father’s safety. The Bach/Gonoud was simply a prelude, one of 48 in the Well Tempered Clavier. Many years later, Charles Gonoud took the prelude and added a melody to it to turn it into the famous Ave Maria that we are familiar with today. Both are incredibly beautiful works that I’m sure we have all heard at countless weddings over the years.
Ten years ago, I also wrote an Ave Maria at the request of my older sister for her wedding. Unfortunately I can’t track down a recording of it. If I do find a recording, I’ll include it in next week’s writing. I hope you enjoy these beautiful works!
-John