Ave Verum Corpus

Composed less than 6 months before his passing, while in the middle of composing his final opera (Die Zauberflöte) Mozart composed this motet in D major. It is a setting of the latin hymn which Mozart wrote for his friend Anton Still, who was a church musician at St. Stephan in Baden bie Wien. The motet was composed for the feast of Corpus Christi — the autograph dated 17 June 1791 indicates it it was scored for SATB (choir voices), string instruments and organ.The motet foreshadows "aspects of the Requiem such as declamatory gesture, textures, and integration of forward- and backward-looking stylistic elements".While the Requiem is a dramatic composition, the motet expresses the Eucharistic thoughts with simple means, suited for the church choir in a small town.

Ave Verum Corpus (Hail,True Body) (k.618)