Ave verum

There are very few composers who have left such a comprehensive oeuvre covering all genres as Camille Saint-Saëns. His vocal music, however, has rather fallen into oblivion - if one leaves aside his 'indestructible' Christmas oratorio (Oratorio de Noël, Opus 12). But apart from that, Saint-Saëns, who worked as an organist at various churches from 1852, composed a number of little church music works: settings for different instrumentations, certainly destined to be used in services, including his Ave verum for four-part choir (including organ without pedal ad lib.). It is a simple, yet harmonically rich setting which constitutes a valuable addition to the choral repertoire and an evocative alternative to the common Ave settings.