Ave Verum Corpus (K618)

Ave Verum Corpus (K618) by WA Mozart
Arranged for flute choir by Richard E. Thurston

Scored for 8 C Flutes divided into 2 flute choirs – solo and tutti (the tutti choir may use multiple players on each part)

Mozart composed the motet 'Ave Verum Corpus' in Baden on June 17, 1791, for his friend Anton Stoll, the local choirmaster.  The motet, scored for chorus, strings and organ continuo, was intended primarily for funeral use. (Less than six months later, on December 5, 1791, Mozart himself was dead.)

In this transcription, the four solo flutes are an equivalent of the string parts, while the tutti flutes duplicate the chorus parts an octave higher.  The piece may be performed by flutes alone, preferably with more than one player on each of the tutti parts, or as an accompaniment to a choral version (choral parts not included in this version.  In the latter case, the tutti parts can be used to double the chorus or may be omitted altogether. )