Ave Maria(Josef Rheinberger)

Composer: Josef Rheinberger
Arranger: Ko Matsushita

Words from composer

This issue’s ICOT Masterpiece Selection is a treble three-part choral version of Ave Maria, a masterpiece by
Josef Rheinberger, the supreme religious musician and organist of the German Romantic school.
The original of this piece was written as the first piece of the six-piece “Hymn to Mary, Op. 171,” and was
designed to be sung solo or in unison.
In arranging this piece, I always kept Rheinberger’s handsome and beautiful choral arrangement in mind and
tried to follow his style.
I hope this arrangement will bring this beautiful masterpiece to the ears of many more people and increase
performance opportunities.
The accompanying instrument is the organ, but it can also be played on the piano.