Franz Lachner

Ave Maria op. 162

Franz Lachner is still one of the most underrated composers of the 19th century. The friend of Schubert and Beethoven and later teacher of Josef Rheinberger was equally successful as a conductor, composer and church musician in Vienna, Mannheim and Munich. The long out-of-print 'Ave Maria' is one of his shorter church music masterpieces: a touching dialog unfolds between the solo voice (S or T) and the choir against the backdrop of an intimate, romantic mood. The accompaniment can be provided by the organ alone, by the strings alone or by both orchestras together. Robert Schumann described Lachner as 'the most talented of the South German composers'.

The score is copy-protected for single copies. This is only removed if the choral score or orchestral material is purchased at the same time.