Manhattan Beach Music Ave Maria - Ticheli - Concert Band - Gr. 3

Composer: Frank Ticheli
Format: Score and Parts
Instrumentation: Concert Band
Level: 3

With the possible exception of Mozart, no other composer in the history of music ever surpassed Franz Schubert's genius for melodic writing. One of his most well-known songs, "Ave Maria", was composed in 1825, when he was 28 years old.

In my setting, I considered carefully the problem of translating piano music to the wind medium without compromising the dignity and beauty of the original. To have simply transferred the piano part literally to the winds would have resulted in a timid and thin sound. For me, the solution was to find and connect the multiple melodic layers implied by the piano figurations, creating a richer, more polyphonic texture suitable to the winds. I had lots of fun dissecting and re-assembling the piece, and I took occasional liberties in the process, but I never strayed far from the basic harmonic structure of the original, and I strove hard to preserve a Schubertian elegance and grace. - Frank Ticheli

(Sound Sample - Performance by USC Thornton Wind Ensemble, reading session conducted by the composer. Subsequent to the recording, the opening measures were slightly re-scored for the published version.)