Franz Liszt
Schubert: Ave Maria
in B-flat Major, S . 558 No. 12

ID: 2971

Peaceful Prayer

This version of “Ave Maria” (“Hail Mary”) is a piano transcription of Franz Schubert’s song “Ellens dritter Gesang” (“Ellens Third Song”), commonly known as “Ave Maria” because of the opening words of each verse and refrain. In Liszt’s version, the vocal part appears as a tenor, singing tenderly in the middle register of the piano, enveloped by veiled chordal accompaniment in both the higher and lower registers, creating a sort of three-handed effect.

Halfway through the piece, arpeggio figurations replace the chords, but they are not of the flashy kind but delicate, peaceful. Glittering quietly in the high registers of the piano like stars in the night sky, they only temporarily gain in intensity during the piece’s emotional climax. While not strictly a virtuoso piece, the multilayered textures and arpeggio figurations can nevertheless be challenging to manage, demanding a highly refined technique and musicianship on the part of the pianist.

Background

“Ellens dritter Gesang” was composed by Franz Schubert in 1825 and published in 1826 as a part of a song cycle (Op. 52) featuring seven songs from Walter Scott's The Lady of the Lake. Liszt’s transcription closely follows the structure of the original composition. It was composed in 1837-1838 and published in a collection titled “12 Lieder von Franz Schubert” (later revised in 1876), featuring a variety of Schubert’s songs in transcriptions by Liszt.

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