Ave Maria Biebl. Schola Cantorum St Matthew's Cathedral

St Matthew's Cathedral Washington D.C.
I was Alto during the Festival Lessons and Carols. It was a pleasure to sing this beautiful masterpiece!

Dir. Tom Stehle
Schola Cantorum
December 11, 2011

Biebl was born in Pursruck, now part of Freudenberg, Bavaria, in 1906. He studied composition at the Musikhochschule in Munich. Biebl served as Choir Director at the Catholic church of St Maria in München-Thalkirchen from 1932 until 1939, and as an assistant professor of choral music at the Mozarteum, an academy of music in Salzburg, Austria, beginning in 1939, where he taught voice and music theory.

Biebl's best-known work is his Ave Maria (1964), which sets portions of the Angelus as well as the Ave Maria. The piece was brought to the United States by the Cornell University Glee Club in 1970. The ensemble met Biebl during a recording session in Frankfurt while on a tour of Germany. Conductor Thomas A. Sokol was given a number of Biebl's works, premiering them after returning home. The Ave Maria quickly gained popularity, most notably after becoming part of the repertoire of Chanticleer. Originally scored for male voices, after it became popular the composer himself rearranged Ave Maria for SATB and SSA choir as well.