"Ave Maria" for Woodwind Quartet

Although Josquin des Prez (1450 and 1455 - 1521) has sometimes been confused with a Josquin de Kessalia who sang in Milan from 1459 to 1474 and died in 1498, the earliest surviving document shows he was a singer at the chapel of René, Duke of Anjou, in Aix-en-Provence as of 19 April 1477, and a birthdate of circa 1450 is now generally accepted. There are numerous gaps in his biography and seems to have traveled widely, but Josquin was headquartered in Milan 1483-89, was a member of the papal choir 1489 to 1495 (and left a recently discovered graffito in the Sistine Chapel), served Louis XII after 1499, Duke Ercole I of Ferrara 1503-4, become provost of the collegiate church of Notre-Dame at Condé-sur-l'Escaut on 3 May 1504, and added a post at Saint Quentin in 1509.

The reputation of the princeps musicorum can hardly be overstated; one contemporary even calls Michelangelo the Josquin of sculpture. The list of conflicting and dubious attributions is correspondingly great.

This 4-part Ave Maria of Josquin des Prez was extremely popular in the sixteenth century, through its then “new” more “open” style (fewer melismas, parts set with just two voices). Even today, it is considered one of the most nearly perfect compositions of its era. It was so popular during Josquin's life that an anonymous composer, probably Ludwig Daser, working after Josquin's death, circulated a version with two new added voices (Ave Maria … Virgo serena, a 6). Ludwig Senfl also wrote a 6-part Ave Maria parody based on this piece.

Source: ChoralWiki (https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Josquin_des_Prez)

Although originally composed for Chorus (SATB), I created this arrangement of "Ave Maria" from Dodecachordon (Henricus Glareanus - 1547) for Woodwind Quartet (Flute, Oboe, English Horn & Bassoon).