Der deutsche Gesang, WAB 63 explained
("The German song"), WAB 63, is a patriotic song composed by Anton Bruckner in 1892, one year before Helgoland.
History
Bruckner composed on 29 April 1892 for the (First German-academic singers' festival), which would happen in Salzburg in June 1892. The performance on 5 June under the baton of Raoul Mader was a "" (a huge success).[1]
The original manuscript is stored in the archive of the in Vienna.[2] The song was first published in 1911 by Viktor Keldorfer (Universal Edition).[1] The piece, also called German: Das deutsche Lied, was performed several times till the years 1930.[2] It is put in Band XXIII/2, No. 35 of the German: Gesamtausgabe.[3]
Lyrics
The song uses lyrics by Erich Fels, pseudonym of Aurelius Polzer:
Music
The 87-bar long work in D minor, which shows affinities with the patriotic Germanenzug (1863), Sängerbund (1882) and Helgoland (1893),[1] is scored for choir and brass instruments (4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones and contrabass-tuba).
Discography
There are four recordings of Der deutsche Gesang:
- Robert Shewan, Roberts Wesleyan College Chorale and Brass Ensemble, Anton Bruckner - Sacred and Secular Choral Works – LP: Roberts Wesleyan College Records 41 448, 1983. Remastered to CD: High Definition Tape Transfers HDTT.
- Robert Shewan, Roberts Wesleyan College Chorale and Brass Ensemble, Choral Works of Anton Bruckner – CD: Albany TROY 063, 1991
- Timothy Seelig, Turtle Creek Chorale Dallas, Fort Worth Symphony Brass, Times of the Day – CD: Reference Recordings RR-67, 1995
- Thomas Kerbl, Männerchorvereinigung, Blechbläserensemble der Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität Linz, Weltliche Männerchöre – CD: LIVA 054, 2012
- Note: Der deutsche Gesang has been performed at the Brucknerfest 2022 (Brucknerfest 2022 - Krieg und Frieden (29-09-2022)). A recording is available in the Bruckner Archive.[4]
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
Notes and References
- C. van Zwol, p. 730
- U. Harten, p. 127
- http://www.mwv.at/TextBruckner/Katalog/liederWelt.htm Gesamtausgabe – Weltliche Chöre
- http://www.abruckner.com/brucknerarchive/brucknerdatabase/ The Bruckner archive
