Ave Maria, WAB 7

For two other settings of the same text by the composer, see Ave Maria, WAB 5 and Ave Maria, WAB 6.

Ave Maria (Hail Mary), WAB 7, is a setting of the Latin prayer Ave Maria by Anton Bruckner.

Ave Maria
Motet by Anton Bruckner
The Annunciation by Rogier van der Weyden
Key	F major
Catalogue	WAB 7
Form	Marian hymn
Text	Ave Maria
Language	Latin
Composed	5 February 1882 (1882-02-05): Vienna
Dedication	Luise Hochleitner
Performed	5 February 1903 (1903-02-05): Vienna
Published	1902 (1902): Stuttgart
Vocal	Alto soloist
Instrumental	Organ, piano or harmonium

History

When staying in Wels during the summer of 1881 Bruckner met Luise Hochleitner, a singer with a beautiful alto voice.^[1] Bruckner promised to dedicate to her an Ave Maria. The work, which was composed on 5 February 1882, —almost 20 years after his more famous motet— is for alto (or baritone) solo voice and keyboard (organ, piano or harmonium).^[2]

The original manuscript is lost, but there are fair copies of it at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek and the Abbey of Kremsmünster.^[3] The work was published in 1902 as an appendix to No. 13 of the Neue Musikzeitung, Stuttgart.^[4] The first public performance occurred during a concert of the Wiener Akademischer Wagner-Verein on 5 February 1903 by Gisella Seehofer, who then also premiered Bruckner's Wie bist du, Frühling, gut und treu and Im April.^[5] The motet is put in Band XXI/29 of the Gesamtausgabe.^[6]

Setting

The 81-bar demanding work, scored in F major, requires a singer with a two-octave broad tessitura.

Like the two earlier settings of Ave Maria, the name Jesus is sung thrice (bars 23–31).^[4] It is followed by an instrumental interlude (bars 32–38) and goes then on with the second part (Sancta Maria), which quotes the 20-year earlier setting.^[4] Thereafter (bars 53–58) Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae is sung pianissimo in unison. After a repeat of Sancta Maria, it is ending by a two-octave descending arpeggio on Amen (from F₅ to F₃) and a short instrumental postlude (bars 76–81).

Selected discography

The first recording was:

• Ingrid Günther (alto), Herbert Günther (BRT-Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester), Bruckner – Missa Solemnis in B – LP: Garnet G 40 170, c. 1980

In the majority of the about 20 recordings the singer is skipping the lower octave of the Amen. A selection among the few recordings, in which the singer is doing it faithfully:

• Anne-Marie Owens (mezzo-soprano), Peter King (organ), Mass No. 2 / Motets (Simon Halsey) – CD: Conifer CDCF 192, 1990
• Peter Matuszek (baritone), Vladimir Roubal (organ), Canti Sacri – CD: Rosa RD 151-2, 1994
• Sigrid Hagmüller (alto), Rupert Gottfried Frieberger (organ), Anton Bruckner – Oberösterreichische Kirchenmusik – CD: Fabian Records CD 5112, 1995
• Vera Ilieva (mezzo-soprano; transposed to A-flat major), Burkhard Pütz (organ), Ave Maria – CD: CSD 100 057, 1999
• Günther Groissböck (bass), Matthias Giesen (organ), In Te Domine Speravi – Gramola CD 99327, 2024