J.S. Bach/Charles Gounod - Ave Maria - Ben Bloor

Ave Maria by Johann Sebastian Bach/Charles Gounod, arranged by Christopher Morris, performed by Ben Bloor on the 45 stop 1954 Downes/Walker organ of the London Oratory Church on Tuesday 2nd July 2024.
Surely one of the great musical examples of 'upcycling' in history, Charles Gounod added a beautiful melody with the words of the Latin Hail Mary prayer to J.S. Bach's famous opening Prelude in C major from his 'Well-Tempered Clavier' (BWV 846). This organ transcription sees Gounod's melody appearing cantabile in the tenor register, surrounded by the musical halo of Bach's original arpeggiated chords.
Ben Bloor is Organist at the London Oratory Church and School Organist at Westminster School. For more information, please visit www.benbloor.com
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[@carolebloor8301]

Ava Maria just wonderful

[@mspg2]

love the solo stop - a very fine rendition Ben when you play it it is not hackneyed - bravo maestro.

[@grahamtwist]

A very tender performance, Ben, on the gorgeous Downes/Walker Organ - good to hear you use the tremulant: bravo!
This is certainly a most interesting piece of 'upcycling' . . . and worth adding to the story!
The music that is so well known today did not start life as a sacred piece - nor was it initially intended to be! Gounod credited Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn with increasing his appreciation, understanding and passion for the works of Bach. Gounod was introduced to many of Bach's keyboard works by Fanny and when Gounod visited her brother at his home in Leipzig, Felix played a private organ concert of Bach's music for him.
About ten years later, as Gounod was improvising at the piano, the now-famous version was born! Gounod was simply working a melody he had created around Bach's famous Prelude in C from the Well-Tempered Klavier. Pierre-Joseph-Guillaume Zimmermann, Gounod's future father-in-law, heard Gounod at the piano and rushed into the room asking Gounod to play it again so that he could write it down. Zimmermann later transcribed it and arranged it for a small ensemble to play. The melody, with Bach's Prelude as the accompaniment, was then published in 1853 as "Meditation on the First Prelude of Sebastian Bach." A later published version included words - a poem called "Vers écrits sur un album" by Alphonse de Lamartine (verses about the book of life). Gounod later changed the text to the traditional Latin text of the Ave Maria prayer. A smart move on his part!
Gounod never considered the 'Ave Maria' setting among his greatest accomplishments, but it has ironically turned out to be one of his most beloved compositions. This is probably because the simple, expressive melody speaks deeply into the soul of the listener and it's difficult to imagine that anyone unless they had a heart of stone could listen and be unmoved!
But even more ironic for Gounod is that this single work puts the lie to these words by one nineteenth century music critic who opined: "Mr Gounod's music is too learned and complicated. It's a symphonist's music where skill sparks all the time, but inspiration is lacking. Mr Gounod has no melodic gift. The music does not move because it does not sing." How we love to make critics eat their words!

[@carolebloor8301]

Wonderful. X
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