# Who performed Ave Maria in the West Wing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2004, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-performed-ave-maria-in-the-west-wing/232266 "2004-03-03T07:40:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![maikai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@maikai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maikai)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-performed-ave-maria-in-the-west-wing/232266/1 "2004-03-03T07:40:44Z")
In the episode “THE CRACKPOTS AND THESE WOMEN” Josh is listening to the Ave Maria. Does anyone know which version it is? The only information I cold find is that whatever version it is, it’s on the [The Ave Maria album](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000007QGY/qid=1078299116//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i12_xgl15/102-9075473-2322525?v=glance&n=507846). ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-performed-ave-maria-in-the-west-wing/232266/2 "2004-03-04T01:16:29Z")
According to [this thread on alt.tv.the-west-wing](http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&safe=off&threadm=1lVe6.159794%24ge4.56733300%40news2.rdc2.tx.home.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fq%3D%2522west%2Bwing%2522%2B%2522ave%2Bmaria%2522%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26newwindow%3D1%26safe%3Doff%26selm%3D1lVe6.159794%2524ge4.56733300%2540news2.rdc2.tx.home.com%26rnum%3D1): > [@](#): > > This was Schubert’s “Ave Maria” performed by Barbara Bonney… > > It’s on these CD’s (try [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com)): > > ``` > -Schubert: Lieder / Barbara Bonney, Geoffrey Parsons > -Ave Maria - The Myth of Mary (Bernstein) > > ``` So that specific performance isn’t on the “Ave Maria Album” you linked to. ---
**Author:** ![maikai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@maikai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maikai)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-performed-ave-maria-in-the-west-wing/232266/3 "2004-03-04T06:11:30Z")
Thanks for the link. [The West Wing Continuity Guide](http://westwing.bewarne.com/) is the website I used. Someone should scold them for having the wrong information. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-performed-ave-maria-in-the-west-wing/232266/4 "2012-07-13T10:54:52Z")
I know this is an ancient thread, but I just want to state for the record that it isn’t Barbara Bonney singing that version on The West Wing. The closest match I can get is the Trinity College version. Nothing else is even remotely similar. ---
**Author:** ![PatronAnejo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac8455/32.png) [@PatronAnejo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatronAnejo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-performed-ave-maria-in-the-west-wing/232266/5 "2017-06-23T05:50:51Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I know this is an ancient thread, but I just want to state for the record that it isn’t Barbara Bonney singing that version on The West Wing. The closest match I can get is the Trinity College version. Nothing else is even remotely similar. **Composed by Franz Schubert** , the _Ave Maria_ ([“Ellens Gesang III”, D. 839, Op. 52, No. 6, 1825](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ave_Maria_(Schubert))) from the West Wing episode _The Crackpots and These Women_ is performed by [soprano Fiona Jessica Wilson](https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/fionaben) with the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge ([March 15, 1993 - March 17, 1993](http://www.allmusic.com/performance/ave-maria-mq0001928291)). > [@](#): > > _Born in London into a family of musicians, Fiona began her musical studies on the cello…and won a choral scholarship to Cambridge where she read French and German. Whilst there she made several recordings with Trinity College Choir and toured Europe, the USA and Asia. At this time she recorded Schubert’s Ave Maria to critical acclaim, which was subsequently put on a Classic FM compilation CD, as well as being used on TV series such as E.R. and West Wing._ **Two albums contain the track** in question: [Miserere - Choral Favourites](https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/miserere-choral-favourites/id315882948), and [Allegri - Miserere](https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/allegri-miserere/id258637896). Both albums seemingly contain performances from the same recording session—while the track listings are nearly identical, the run times for each track are somewhat less so. **To confuse things a bit,** both albums also contain performances by Andrea Cockerton of [an entirely different _Ave Maria_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ave_Maria_(Bach/Gounod)) (CG86a), written by Charles Gounod to be superimposed over _Prelude and Fugue in C major_ (BWV 846) by Johann Sebastian Bach)