It’s quite interesting when music pieces have the ability to migrate from one genre to another within centuries. And this migration is especially curious when the move happens between two opposite genres such as secular music and church music. In this case, church music is more often to be ‘softened’ for people than the pop music ‘churchilized’ for liturgical services.
Franz Schubert’s setting for Walter Scott’s poem “The Lady of the Lake” was not supposed to get into church when composed. But it did. Not at once, of course, and not on church’s order. The composer was so happy to receive quite a sizeable amount of money for this work (20 pounds sterling!) that thought that was the peak of it. Only by chance of destiny was the holy Latin “Ave Maria” text put on Schubert’s “Lady” by some unknown musician. Since then this duet has been working pretty well.
As composer’s most popular work, Ave Maria was and still is arranged a lot for different instrumentation – piano, violin, cello, organ, choir, flute, trumpet, saxophone and others. Franz Liszt himself wrote three arrangements for it. But choosing between Ave Maria’s versions, I personally opt for the duet of cello and piano. That’s one curious arrangement like that by Viktor Dick: “Ave Maria, Cello and Piano, B flat major” – a lovely sounding! On video another lovely performance by the young Rice brothers, also in my favorite instrumentation.
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