Austrian pianist Artur Schnabel insisted that Mozart’s Ave verum corpus, K. 618 is “too simple for children, and too difficult for adults.”
Indeed, this simple choral, unfolding over 46 measures, imparts a cosmic “rightness.” It says all that needs to be said. The score is inscribed with a single interpretive marking—sotto voce, which implies a hushed, reverent tone.
This motet was composed in the final six months of Mozart’s life, concurrently with The Magic Flute. A setting of a 14th century Eucharistic hymn, it was performed during the feast of Corpus Christi. The manuscript is dated June 17, 1791. It was written for Anton Stoll, the choirmaster of a small local church in Baden, where Mozart’s wife, Constanze, pregnant with their sixth child, was taking a cure at the spa.
Recordings
- Mozart: Ave verum corpus, K. 618, Peter Schreier, Staatskapelle Dresden, Rundfunkchor Leipzig Amazon
Featured Image: Mozart’s autograph score for Ave verum corpus
