Ave dulcissima Maria

This beautiful variant of the standard Ave Maria text has been only occasionally set to music throughout history, most notably by the Renaissance composer Gesualdo. My setting is for men's chorus (with three brief solo passages to be sung by members of the choir) and one set of finger cymbals to be played by a chorister. Finger cymbals often formed part of the performance ritual of early music, calling the singers and listeners to worship by song. --Morten Lauridsen