Music For Horns

Another work that needs little introduction, the Ave verum corpus in D major K618 was written in the middle of working on The magic flute, shortly before Mozart’s death. It is said to foreshadow aspects of the Requiem, and is one of the best known motets of all times.

The work in D, in this arrangement, has become a work in B flat (F major horn pitch). This, as in many other Martinet arrangements, limits the difficulty considerable, making it accessible to most ensembles. In terms of range, keeping it in the original key would have been no problem for an intermediate ensemble, however in this case the character of the work is also preserved through the transposition, as it is meant to be “sotto voce”, very quiet and somber.

Another one in Martinet’s collection of arrangements of classical masterpieces, the motet Ave verum corpus has few technical challenges (except for tuning), but is very effective and an audience favourite.