Description
Schubert – Ave Maria Op. 52 No. 6, D. 839, arranged for harp by Beatrix Fels
The late 19th century German harpist and harp pedagogue Beatrix Fels vanished from harp history with only a few Schubert Lieder arrangements left to her name. She is unknown despite composing and arranging 31 works. Her arrangement of the Ave Maria Op. 52 by Schubert works for both recital and gig performances. Yet isn’t hard enough to take months to learn. It still requires rigorous musicianship to faithfully convey the spirit of this original lied. The music is transposed one step down from Bb to Ab Major to accommodate the medium high voice. It is meant to be a solo version, but can also be used to accompany a singer. More specific explanations are provided in the music and the accompanying notes on p. 8.
As a witness of its time (published in 1894), this new “old edition” clarifies Schubert’s intentions:
Originally, Franz Schubert named this song Ellens Gesang III (Hymne an die Jungfrau). He composed it in 1825 as part of the song cycle op. 52 based on Walter Scott’s famous epic poem The Lady of the Lake, set in the mythic Scottish Highlands. In 1813, Rossini had already composed his opera La Donna del Lago, based on the same story, at a time when even Beethoven had published countless classical arrangements of popular Scottish folk music. When published in 1826, Schubert insisted on featuring both English and German lyrics, as he wished to gain some exposure in the British Isles, too. Yet adding the English text proved challenging. Scott’s original poetry doesn’t easily fit Schubert’s meter based on the German translation by Adam Storck. This explains the existence of different English-language versions. It could also explain why a rather inappropriate Latin version superseded both the German and English in modern times. It should be added that Scott’s poetic setting alluded to a folk harp accompaniment for Ellen Douglas’s “supplication” to the Virgin on behalf of her father, perfectly conveyed by Schubert with his continuous sextuplets pattern.
