Yeah, Dick, but it wasn't an Ave Maria when he wrote it. In The Book of World-Famous Music, Fuld quotes Westrup-Harrison:

The Bach-gounod Ave Maria has been nicely described as "a cantabile melody superimposed on the first prelude, C major, from Bach's Das wohltemperirte Clavier."

Well-Tempered Clavier was first printed in 1753-54. Gounod's Meditation appeared in print in 1853 as an instrumental piece, and it was published with the Ave Maria lyrics in 1859.

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By the way, Fuld says the Shubert Ave Maria shares only a title with the Roman Catholic prayer. The text is from Sir Walter Scott's Lady of the Lake.
Maybe that's so, but there's a very common version of Schubert's tune that has lyrics that ARE based on the prayer, although they are not the exact words of the prayer. Here are the Walter Scott lyrics:

Ave Maria! Oh listen to a mortal's prayer.
We pray, Oh Maria, maiden mild.
For Thou can hear us from yonder wild.
And Thou can save us from despair. Save us from despair!
May we sleep safely in thy care. Thy care.
Though we be outcast and reviled.
Maiden hear a heart in fervent prayer!
Oh Mother pray hear a suppliant child!

This site has the religious lyrics to the Schubert piece - I don't know if Schubert used them or not.

Ave Maria gratia plena,
Maria gratia plena,
Maria gratia plena.
Ave ave Dominus.
Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus.
Et benedictus.
Et benedictus fructus ventris,
Ventris tui Iesus.
Ave Maria.

Ave Maria Mater Dei.
Ora pro nobis pecatoribus.
Ora ora pro nobis.
Ora ora pro nobis peccatoribus.
Nunc et in hora mortis.
In hora mortis nostrae.
In hora mortis mortis nostrae.
In hora mortis nostrae.
Ave Maria.

Ave Maria gratia plena.
Maria gratia plena.
Maria gratia plena.
Ave ave Dominus.
Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus.
Et benedictus.
Et benedictus fructus ventris,
Ventris tui Iesus.
Ave Maria.

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Here are the lyrics from Bach-Gounod, which are much closer to the original Latin prayer:

Ave Maria, gratia plena,
Dominus, tecum,
benedicta tu in mulieribus
et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, sancta Maria,
Maria, ora pro nobis nobis peccatoribus,
nunc et in hora, in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen! Amen!

I guess I have to admit that I do like the Bach-Gounod, if it's sung lightly (not in operatic style), with correct Latin pronunciation, and with a light accompaniment like an acoustic guitar.

-Joe Offer-

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This page (click) has an amazing amount of information on the many musical versions of Ave Maria.