Ave Maria  SSAATTBB + harp / piano
 adapted to 'Adagietto' from Mahler's Symphony No.5

Mahler - Ave Maria (1901) - choir (with or without keyboard) by Gustav Mahler arr. Adrian Connell
For many years whenever I have heard the Adagietto from Mahler's Symphony No.5 I have felt it would make a beautiful Ave Maria. Finally this year I sat down with the score and realized that the words would indeed fit all the way through. I therefore went ahead and made an arrangement for double choir with harp. However the probability of a choir having a harp readily available means that the work should also be played by piano. The transcription is note for note based on Mahler's original. I have had to take one section down the octave and I think split just one note from a crochet into two quavers just to fit the words at one point. While needing good sopranos and good second basses this arrangement aims to be as practical as possible while following the original. Hopefully this arrangement will enjoy a good life when you think of the Elgar Lux Aeterna (Nimrod) and the Barber Agnus Dei (Adagio for Strings) and the fame they have achieved.  Adrian Connell