(The song of the heights), WAB 74, is a song for double men's choir and three soloists, which Anton Bruckner composed in 1876 on a text by Heinrich von der Mattig.
History Bruckner composed Das hohe Lied on a text of Heinrich von der Mattig on 31 December 1876 as homage to the (Academic singing association of Vienna).C. van Zwol, pp. 726-727 is a German name of the Song of Songs, which is possibly an intentional allusion.
During the rehearsals, the choir found the work difficult to perform because of the use of humming voices. Therefore, conductor Richard Heuberger asked Bruckner to revise the work. When revising the work in 1879, Bruckner added an accompaniment of strings and brass instruments. On 10 December 1879 a new rehearsal occurred under Bruckner's baton, but was not followed by a public performance. The first public performance occurred posthumously in 1902 in a transcription by Hans Wagner.
The original manuscript is stored in the archive of the .U. Harten, pp. 200-201 Wagner's transcription was issued by Doblinger, Vienna in 1902. The original setting of 1876 is issued in Band XXIII/2, No. 27 of the .Gesamtausgabe – Weltliche Chöre The revised setting of 1879 is put in an Appendix to Band XXIII/2 of the .
Text
is based on a text by Heinrich von der Mattig. In the valley, the rustling mill disturbs the walker's song, Until he escapes through forest darkness up to the mountains. And in the valley, the mill is rustling ever more distantly. And ever more strongly resonates the song. The heights are reached, the song is now alone And floats on aerial waves into the evening's red.
Music The 84-bar long work in A-flat major is scored for double choir, and 2 tenor and a baritone soloists. Similarly to , the first part (44 bars) is sung by the soloists with an accompaniment of humming voices, figuring the rustling mill. From "", the melody is taken over by the double choir.
Because of the performance difficulties (humming voices) encountered during the rehearsals, Bruckner added in 1879 an accompaniment of strings (2 violas, 2 cellos and double bass) to enhance the humming voices, and of brass instruments (4 horns, 3 trombones and a tuba) to accompany the double choir.
References
Sources Anton Bruckner – Sämtliche Werke, Band XXIII/2: Weltliche Chorwerke (1843–1893), Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag der Internationalen Bruckner-Gesellschaft, Angela Pachovsky and Anton Reinthaler (Editor), Vienna, 1989 Cornelis van Zwol, Anton Bruckner 1824–1896 – Leven en werken, uitg. Thoth, Bussum, Netherlands, 2012. Uwe Harten, Anton Bruckner. Ein Handbuch. , Salzburg, 1996. .
External links
Das hohe Lied As-Dur, WAB 74 – Critical discography by Hans Roelofs A transcription for horn ensemble can be heard on YouTube: Anton Bruckner: Das hohe Lied