Schubert wrote this piece in the spring summer of 1825, with words taken from one of the poems in the epic, “The Lady on the Lake” by Walter Scott (1771-1832). Schubert set seven poems in this epic to music and “Ave Maria” was the 6th. It is a prayer of a maiden named Ellen asking for forgiveness of her father of her father’s sin as she kneels down before an image of the Virgin Mary set up on the rocky hill by the lake. The German translation of the poem was made by Adam Storg.
The song is written in the strophelied form consisting of three sections, with the tempo designated as “lento”. The quiet and pious melody in slow tempo is rendered with a piano accompaniment imitating a harp.
The song moved the hearts of many people when it first appeared and Schubert loved to sing it. Today it is a world wide favorite thanks to a German violinist, AF.V. Wilhelmi (1845-1908) who arranged it as “Violin Solo in C major.”
The song is written in the strophelied form consisting of three sections, with the tempo designated as “lento”. The quiet and pious melody in slow tempo is rendered with a piano accompaniment imitating a harp.
The song moved the hearts of many people when it first appeared and Schubert loved to sing it. Today it is a world wide favorite thanks to a German violinist, AF.V. Wilhelmi (1845-1908) who arranged it as “Violin Solo in C major.”
From : Programe Note The New York Symphonic Ensemble’s concert at Thailand Cultural Centre on November 7, 1991
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