Ave Maria Op. 52, No. 6

Franz Schubert: Ave Maria Op. 52, No. 6 for flute and piano was written in 1825. The piece was never intended as a liturgical "Ave Maria." Instead, it is the sixth of seven songs in Schubert’s Liederzyklus vom Fräulein vom See (Song Cycle of the Lady of the Lake), based on Sir Walter Scott’s epic poem. In the poem, the character Ellen Douglas is hiding in a "Goblin's cave" to escape a bloody conflict between her father and King James.The "Ave Maria" we hear is actually Ellen’s personal prayer to the Virgin Mary, asking for protection for her father. The opening words "Ave Maria" were part of Scott’s original English lyrics (and Adam Storck’s German translation), which eventually led the public to swap the poem's lyrics for the full Latin prayer text.
The work was dedicated to Countess Sophie Weissenwolff. She was an admirer of Schubert’s music and lived in the Austrian town of Steyregg. Her frequent performances of the "Ellen" songs eventually led to her being nicknamed "The Lady of the Lake" herself. It was premiered in 1825 at the castle of Countess Weissenwolff in Steyregg, during a summer tour Schubert took with the famous baritone Johann Michael Vogl.
The year 1825 was a rare period of optimism and relative health for Schubert, sandwiched between the dark years of his initial syphilis diagnosis (1823) and his final decline (1828).
Much of this music was conceived during an expansive walking tour of Upper Austria with Vogl. Schubert was inspired by the mountain landscapes, which mirrored the rugged Scottish Highlands of Scott’s poetry.
To appeal broader audiences, he published the Op. 52 songs with both German and English text, specifically aiming to capture the popular English-speaking market where Sir Walter Scott was a literary superstar.
Franz Liszt famously arranged the piece for piano, and Theobald Boehm included "Ave Maria" in his collection of Schubert transcriptions, often performed with piano. Te most popular arrangement played now was made by Wolfgang Birtel (Schott).