("The evening sky"), WAB 55, is a song composed by Anton Bruckner in 1862.
History Bruckner composed this first setting of "evening song" Der Abendhimmel in January 1862. He used for the composition a text of Joseph Christian von Zedlitz, which he would also use for a second setting of the song in 1866. Bruckner dedicated the song to the men's quartet Anton Munsch [Anton Munsch (1st tenor), Anton Stiefler (2nd tenor), Eduard Benoni (1st bass) and Mathias Weissmann (2nd bass)].U. Harten, p. 41C. Howie, Chapter III, p. 90
The piece was performed first in a transcription for men's choir by the Liedertafel Frohsinn on 4 July 1900. The commentator of the (7 July 1900) wrote over a (a wonderful composition of our national master Dr. Anton Bruckner).
The original manuscript is stored in the archive of Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.C. van Zwol, pp. 723-724 It was first issued in Band III/2, pp. 18–20 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. It is issued in Band XXIII/2, No. 15 of the .Gesamtausgabe – Weltliche Chöre
Text
Der Abendhimmel is using a text of Joseph Christian von Zedlitz. When I walk at your side In the evening darkness, And see the moon and its escort Of thousand stars,
Then I want to embrace the moon And hug her at my breast, Sprawl the stars down In full blissful lust,
Decorate your locks with them And adorn your beautiful bosom, I could to decorate and hug you And die of delight and lust.
Music The 38-bar long work in 6/8 is in A-flat major. It is scored for quartet a cappella.
Discography
There are two recordings of Der Abendhimmel, WAB 55: Guido Mancusi, Chorus Viennensis, Musik, du himmlisches Gebilde! – CD: ORF CD 73, 1995 Thomas Kerbl, Quartet of the Männerchorvereinigung Bruckner 08, Anton Bruckner – Männerchöre – CD: LIVA 027, 2008
References
Sources August Göllerich, Anton Bruckner. Ein Lebens- und Schaffens-Bild, – posthumous edited by Max Auer by G. Bosse, Regensburg, 1932 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 Uwe Harten, Anton Bruckner. Ein Handbuch. , Salzburg, 1996. . Cornelis van Zwol, Anton Bruckner 1824–1896 – Leven en werken, uitg. Thoth, Bussum, Netherlands, 2012. Crawford Howie, Anton Bruckner - A documentary biography, online revised edition
External links
Der Abendhimmel As-Dur, WAB 55 – Critical discography by Hans Roelofs A live performance (20 February 2022) by Y Kawaguchi by overdubbing his voice: Der Abendhimmel