This ever-popular piece is often performed at weddings, funerals and many other solemn ceremonial events. It has always been a favorite among instrumental players and often used in recitals or concert encores. In 1853, the well-known French composer Charles Gounod added his own melody over a rippling keyboard accompaniment which was a slightly adapted version of the Prelude No. 1 in C major, BWV846, from Book I of J. S. Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, published in 1722. The title of the ?combined? piece was Méditation sur le Premier Prélude de Piano de S. Bach. Gounod?s original arrangement transposed Bach?s keyboard part from C major into F major and it was scored for violin (or cello), organ and piano. In 1859, the French music publishing company Jacques-Léopold Heugel brought out a vocal version based on the familiar Latin text. Ave Maria (Hail Mary) is a traditional Catholic prayer addressed to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus.
The version of Bach's prelude which Gounod used included the so-called "Schwencke measure" (m. 27 in this arrangement), a measure (bar) allegedly added by the German composer and pianist Christian Friedrich Gottlieb Schwencke (1767-1822) in an attempt to correct what was considered a harmonic weakness in the original. Whether there actually was a ?harmonic weakness? (or possibly an error in the manuscript) remains a matter of conjecture but the fact remains that the most familiar-sounding version of this piece, recorded countless times by both singers and instrumentalists includes this Schwencke measure. It is therefore included in this arrangement.
Some published arrangements show minor inconsistencies in the rhythm of the melody. This arrangement uses the familiar rhythm of the Ave Maria version as it appeared in the 1859 edition.

Ten solos of varying difficulty from the Romantic Period arranged for oboe and piano accompaniment. All pieces are sold separately but buying all 10 together means each piece only costs $1! The collection includes:

\"Anitra?s Dance\" from Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg

Chanson nuit by Edward Elgar

Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens

Voices of Spring by Johann Strauss Jr.

Gnossienne No. 1 by Erik Satie

Mazurka in F Minor by Anatoly Lyadov

Pavane Op. 50 by Gabriel Faure

Prelude in E Minor by Fredric Chopin

Romance Op. 17 by Carl Reinecke

Valse Impromtu by Edvard Greig

This collection of pieces is also available for: flute, cor anglais, clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax and bassoon.