Ave Maria

Ave Maria by Josquin Des Pres and arranged for Guitar Quartet by Joseph Mayes. “Ave Maria” by Josquin Des Pres was originally composed as a motet. It is regarded by many as Josquin’s most famous motet and it is one of the important vocal works of the 15th century. This motet became extremely popular in the 16th century, and appeared at the head of the first volume of motets ever printed. This composition represented a new open style featuring early imitative counterpoint and short duets between pairs of voice parts. These innovations added to its acclaim as one of the most influential compositions of its era. This arrangement is well suited for advanced High School or College groups.