Ave Maria

David Bednall is one of the leading choral composers of his generation. He has an extensive freelance playing and conducting career, and is Organist of The University of Bristol, Sub-organist at Bristol Cathedral, and conducts The University Singers. He won prizes in Improvisation and Performance at the examination for FRCO, and has improvised on live radio, and performed extensively in the UK and abroad. He appeared as stunt-organist on 'Dr Who. He is most prominent as a composer, and recordings of his works have been extremely well received. A number of his works have been broadcast on radio, and he has been commissioned by St Paul's Cathedral, and The Queen's College, Oxford. His 40-part motet Lux orta est iusto closed the Bristol Proms 2015 and December 2018 saw the premiere of Make We Merry for upper voices, brass, and organ, commissioned by Benenden and the recording of this has been released on Regent Records.

The stable 4/4 meter has a graceful momentum, with the keyboard (either organ or piano) moving steadily in quarter-note motion to accompany the more flowing violin line. The unison vocal line is mostly syllabic in motion, and its striking tune maximizes the expressive possibilities of its diatonic structure . . . The obbligato violin line adds a good deal of lyricism without overshadowing the voices. This attractive setting of a ubiquitous Advent text will fit many treble choirs of all levels of accomplishment.