Ave Maria

F. SchubertD. 839

Key

Bb

Time

4/4

Tempo

♩=70

AO focus

AO1

Form

Lied — Schubert's setting of Walter Scott's 'Ellens Gesang III' (Ellen's Song III) from 'The Lady of the Lake'. The Latin Ave Maria text is later (often substituted in church performances). Strophic, six bars per verse, piano broken-chord accompaniment.

Teaching points

• Strophic form — the same melody for each verse. Vocal interpretation must vary the colour/dynamic to keep it fresh
• Piano accompaniment — sextuplet broken chords throughout; pianist's wrists must stay loose
• AO1: recital staple for sopranos and mezzos. Range only an octave, but breath control on the long phrases is the real challenge
• AO3: text vs music mismatch — Schubert wrote it as secular Walter Scott, but the world hears it as church