Bach-Gounod Ave Maria for 5-Octave Handbell Choir, arr. Benjamin Ayotte
Bach-Gounod Ave Maria for 5-Octave Handbell Choir, arr. Benjamin Ayotte
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The World’s Most Beloved Sacred Song — Arranged for 5-Octave Handbell Choir by Benjamin Ayotte
The Ave Maria by Charles Gounod (1818–1893) is one of the most universally beloved sacred songs ever written. Gounod composed it in 1859 by setting a new melody over the famous Prelude in C major from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, creating a seamless fusion of Baroque harmonic architecture and Romantic melodic beauty. The result is a work of extraordinary serenity and spiritual warmth that has become a staple of weddings, funerals, and sacred concerts worldwide.
This edition presents the Bach-Gounod Ave Maria in an arrangement for 5-octave handbell choir by Benjamin Ayotte, bringing the shimmering, bell-like quality of the original to life in a uniquely appropriate medium — the sustained, overtone-rich sound of handbells perfectly mirroring the luminous, floating character of Gounod’s melody.
Performance Highlights
- One of the most universally beloved sacred songs ever written
- Gounod’s melody over Bach’s Prelude in C — a perfect fusion of Baroque and Romantic
- Arranged for 5-octave handbell choir by Benjamin Ayotte
- The handbell medium uniquely suited to this shimmering, luminous work
- Ideal for weddings, sacred concerts, and holiday programs
- Digital PDF download — print-ready score included
About the Arranger
Benjamin Ayotte is the founder of Ayotte Custom Musical Engravings. He holds degrees in music from Eastern Michigan University and Michigan State University; his doctoral dissertation examined how Heinrich Schenker, in his youth, employed auxiliary cadence progressions to organize the tonal structure of his songs. Over the course of his career he has worked as a trumpet teacher, band director, general music teacher, drama producer, teacher of English and History, professor of music theory and counterpoint, and music publisher. He has published a bibliography of Schenkerian resources through Routledge Press and has engraved musical examples for Edward Laufer, Peter H. Smith, Erinn Knyt, Jacquelyn Sholes, Paul Reichle, Beatrice Beer, the Atlantic Coast Opera Festival, and many other clients.