Ave Maria (Schubert) (Solo)

About This Song

Ave Maria (“Hail Mary!”) was initially titled “Ellens dritter Gesang” and officially listed as “Ellens Gesang III, D. 839, Op. 52, No. 6.” Franz Schubert composed this work in 1825 as part of his Op. 52, a setting of seven songs from Walter Scott’s famous narrative poem The Lady of the Lake. Even in Schubert’s brief lifetime (he died in 1828 at age 31), “Ave Maria” was considered a masterpiece, and, unlike the vast majority of his compositions, it was published before his death. Mr. Pasero has transcribed two arrangements of the work, one for solo guitar (this version) and one for two guitars (as recorded on his album Christmas Classics for Guitar) in 1986. He will soon be recording this solo guitar transcription on his upcoming album. (Please note that the audio file included with this solo version uses digital sound samples to show the arrangement.)