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. This arrangement by Colin Kirkpatrick has been transposed into B

flat to feature the middle to upper range of the saxophone. In is ideal for the intermediate

player who can manage a top ?b? with confidence.
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.

Alto sax & Piano transcription.
Sheet music available for Violin, Viola, Flute, Clarinet, Soprano, Alto and Tenor Saxophone accompanied by a Piano.
Backing track available!
https://dav987987.wixsite.com/davidkocijan

Classical Highlights presents the best-known and most popular performance pieces of the classical repertoire in arrangements for alto saxophone. Anyone looking for a popular classic for lessons or recitals will make a find. Suitable repertoire for musical accompaniment at weddings and funerals can be found here as well. To make practising easier, backing tracks can be downloaded as MP3 files. The piano accompaniment is available in PDF format.

Ave Maria oder Hochzeitsmarsch - die Sammlung bietet beliebte Klassiker für Unterricht und Vortrag. Auch für die musikalische Umrahmung von Hochzeit und Beerdigung findet sich hier geeignetes Repertoire. Begleit-Tracks können als MP3-Datei heruntergeladen werden. Die Klavierbegleitung ist als PDF separat erhältlich.

Raaf Hekkema's (*1968) arrangement of the famous work by Paganini was initiated by a commission of the Dutch Noord Nederlands Orkest which asked him to play Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2 at a tour. Like its virtuoso counterpart, Capriccio No. 24, the famous last movement La Campanella which had inspired many other composers like Schumann and Liszt reflects, in the version for saxophone, the great wealth of 21st-century saxophone playing - a breathtaking piece full of saxophone acrobatics!
Already available are the famous 24 Capricci Op. 1 by Paganini for solo saxophone (ED 20559). For the CD release of this work, the virtuoso Dutch saxophonist was awarded the Echo Klassik Award in the category of 'Best Instrumentalist of the Year' in 2007.