Biebl, Ave Maria

Although Franz Biebl (1906-2001) composed many works, he is known (so far) for just one. But if you are going to be remembered for a single work of about 6 minutes, you couldn’t do much better than this setting of Ave Maria. Composed in 1959, it remained rather obscure until the Cornell Glee Club found it. It was soon recorded by Chanticleer and became well-established in the repertoire.

It was even picked up by the OK Chorale in Bowie, Texas—an organization that Carol and I started in our ranching days. And, in fact, Biebl composed the work originally for the local fire department choir. Even though it was conceived for an amateur choir, I suspect the firemen must have included some serious singers.

Biebl worked as a church choir director in Bavaria before joining the faculty of the Mozarteum in Salzburg in 1939. He was a prisoner of the Allies in World War II. Afterwards he returned to Bavaria and directed the town choir of Fürstenfeldbruck near Munich.

I recall hearing this work first at the end of a service at Church of the Incarnation in Dallas. The male voices of that choir were completely up to the task, and the congregation (expecting the typical organ postlude) sat in stunned silence.

Biebl later re-arranged the work for mixed voices, but I think the all-male version works best.