Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus is a most beautiful work that was written half a year before the composer's death. It is a motet for mixed choir, strings and organ. The piece is a wonderful example of Mozart's late musical language. Mozart’s original score had no dynamics except sotto voce at the beginning. The motet was composed in the middle of Mozart’s writing of The Magic Flute, and foreshadows in a number of ways the Requiem that was composed some months later. In this arrangement, the four upper cellos play the string parts while the other cellos are playing the mixed choir parts. It is recommended that the choir parts be performed with more cellists than the string parts. This arrangement is in the original key.

-Hans Erik Deckert

Below is the original Latin text and an English translation:

Latin Text:

Ave verum corpus, natum
de Maria Virgine,
vere passum, immolatum
in cruce pro homine,
cuius latus perforatum
esto nobis praegustatum
esto nobis praegustatum
n mortis examine.
O Iesu dulcis, O Iesu pie, O Iesu, fili Mariae.
Miserere mei. Amen.

English translation:

Hail, true Body, born
of the Virgin Mary,
who having truly suffered, was sacrificed
on the cross for mankind,
whose pierced side
flowed with water and blood:
May it be for us a taste [of the Heavenly banquet]
in the trial of death.
Oh sweet Jesus, Oh pious Jesus, Oh Jesus, son of Mary,
have mercy on me. Amen.