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.

18 Easy Gospel Hymns Vol.1 for Solo Alto Saxophone and Piano is a beautiful collection of your best-loved Gospel Hymns and Spirituals. They are arranged simply in the most suitable range and key for the solo instrument. The preview only shows a few pages of the piano score, but this is followed by a separate solo instrumental part, adding up to 49 pages of quality music.

The standard is early intermediate. Players with a year or two?s experience will enjoy playing these Gospel hymns, with plenty of interest in both the solo and the piano parts. These hymns are ideal for use in concerts or worship, formal or informal. The hymns are in alphabetical order and are as follows

· Abide with Me,

· Amazing Grace,

· Blessed Assurance,

· Deep River,

· Down by the Riverside,

· Go Down Moses,

· Go Tell It on the Mountain,

· He?s Got the Whole World in HIs Hands,

· Higher Ground,

· Jesus on the Mainline,

· Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho,

· Just a Closer Walk with Thee,

· Just as I Am,

· Just Over in the Glory Land,

· Kumbaya My Lord,

· Love Lifted Me,

· Nobody Knows the Trouble I?ve Seen,

· Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.

If you like these Gospel Hymns, then there are another eighteen just like them in Volume 2. To find them copy and paste 18 Easy Gospel Hymns Vol.2 for Solo Alto Saxophone and Piano in the Search Bar above. There are also duet versions of these Gospel hymns available on Sheet Music Plus, and more advanced duet arrangements of your Gospel favourites in the 10 Gospel Duets series.

To keep up with new titles, search for Dave McKeown Sheet Music Downloads on Facebook.

There are many more top quality arrangements and compositions by David McKeown for you to browse at http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/publishers/david-mckeown/6203