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In 1853, French composer Charles Gounod (1818-1893) had the audacity to think that he could fit a melody over the top of J. S. Bach’s masterpiece, the Prelude No. 1 from The Well-Tempered Clavier.  By now it is probably safe to say that his experiment was successful.

Originally written for violin, piano and various other instruments and entitled Méditation sur le 1er Prélude de piano de S. Bach, Gounod later transcribed it for voices and in 1859, added the words of the Ave Maria prayer.  It was in this form that the work received its most widespread attention and has been passed down as one of the great works of all time.

This arrangement is based on the original instrumental version of the piece.  As such, some of the rhythms vary from the vocal version.  Additionally, the tempo should be slightly slower than most vocalists usually take.  The piece should not feel rushed in any way; the melody should soar over the accompaniment in a light and easy manner.

The melody is heard in its entirety twice, first from the solo handbells and then from the instrument, with the other instrument echoing melodic motives beneath.  The accompaniment may be played by either piano or harp.

What do you get when you download this music?

• a full score (showing all instrument parts and including pedal marks for both piano and harp);
• a "clean" copy (ie. no choreography) of the solo handbell part; 
• a copy of the solo handbell part with suggested choreography written in;
• a part for C instrument in treble clef (ie. flute or oboe);
• a part for B-flat instrument in treble clef (ie. clarinet);
• a part for F instrument in treble clef (ie. English Horn);
• a part for C instrument in alto clef (ie. viola);
• a part for C instrument in bass clef (ie. cello or bassoon); and
• a copy of our License Terms.