Du bist wie eine Blume, WAB 64 explained

Du bist wie eine Blume
Composer:	Anton Bruckner
Key:	F major,
Catalogue:	WAB 64
Text:	Heinrich Heine
Language:	German
Dedication:	Liedertafel Sängerbund
Vocal:	quartet

(You are like a flower), WAB 64, is a song, which Anton Bruckner composed in 1861.

History

Bruckner composed the song on a text of Heinrich Heine on 5 December 1861. On request of his friend Alois Weinwurm, Bruckner composed the song for the opening concert of the Liedertafel Sängerbund.^[1]

The piece was performed 10 days later under Bruckner's baton in the German: Redoutensaal of Linz by four soloists: Hermine and Wilhelmine Ritter, Heinrich Knoll and Ferdinand Hummel. The piece became a favourite of Sängerbund.^{[2] [3]}

Bruckner's manuscript of 5 December 1861 (A-LIsakaWAB64) is stored in the archive of the city of Linz.
Another undated work manuscript (Mus.Hs.3166) is stored in the archive of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. A copy of this work manuscript was first published in Band III/2, pp. 193–196 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.^{[2] [3]}
A score based on manuscript A-LIsakaWAB64 is issued in Band XXIII/2, No. 14 of the German: Gesamtausgabe.^[4]

Text

The song uses a text of Heinrich Heine's German: Buch der Lieder (Book of Songs).

You are like a flower,So lovely, fair and pure;I gaze at you and wistfulMelancholy slips into my heart. It's as though I ought to placeMy hands upon your headAnd pray God to ever keep youSo pure, fair, and lovely.^[5]

Music

The 32-bar long work in F major is scored for quartet.^{[2] [3]}

Discography

There are three recordings of the song:

• Johannes Hiemetsberger, Chorus sine nomine, Romantik rediscovered - European choral gems of the 19th century – CD: Helbling C8352CD, 2017
• Reiner E. Moritz, Anton Bruckner - The making of a giant – BR: Arthaus Musik NTSSC, 2021
  A recording of seven motets,^[6] and two Weltliche Chorwerke: Du bist wie eine Blume^[7] and the premiere of Vaterlandslied by Alexander Koller with Hard-Chor-Linz and the Linzer Sängerakademie, is together with the documentary.

NB: A rehearsal of the song can be heard on Youtube.^[8]

• Calmus Ensemble, Bruckner Vocal - Du bist wie eine Blume, WAB 64 – Carus, 2023 – Original performance for voice quartet

Note

• A fragment, sung by the Chor der Singakademie Linz, can be heard from the 30th minute of the videofilm German: Das Leben Anton Bruckners of Hans Conrad Fischer (1975).
• A performance by Stephen Cleobury with the BBC Choir (2011) is put in the Bruckner Archive: Charter Oak COR-2178 (box of 2 CDs).^[9]

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
• Cornelis van Zwol, Anton Bruckner 1824–1896 – Leven en werken, uitg. Thoth, Bussum, Netherlands, 2012.
• Uwe Harten, Anton Bruckner. Ein Handbuch., Salzburg, 1996. .
• Crawford Howie, Anton Bruckner - A documentary biography, online revised edition

External links

• • Du bist wie eine Blume F-Dur, WAB 64 – Critical discography by Hans Roelofs
• Du bist wie eine Blume – Kentucky All-State Choir at the EKU Choral Day 2023 - EKU Center for the Arts (22 September 2023)
• Du bist wie eine Blume, WAB 64 – Leon Chu conducting the Choir of the Chinese University of Hong Kong - Live, Chung Chi Chapel, 18 April 2024
• Du bist wie eine Blume in an arrrangement for String Orchestra and Choir – Andrés Uribe-Jimenéz conducting the Musikverein St. Pölten 1837 (2023)
• Clifford So conducts Bruckner – live performance of Du bist wie eine Blume by the students of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Chorus (2024)

Notes and References

1. C. Howie, Chapter III, pp. 89-90
2. U. Harten, p. 136
3. C. van Zwol, p. 723
4. https://www.mwv.at/content/show/44-LiederweltlicheChorwerke/ Gesamtausgabe – Weltliche Chöre
5. https://www.lieder.net/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=93461 Text on LiederNet
6. [Ave Maria, WAB 6|Ave Maria]
7. A rehearsal of the song (18-09-2018) can be heard on Youtube: Anton Bruckner - Du bist wie eine Blume
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E-tqeIrG-Y Du bist wie eine Blume - Anton Bruckner - Linzer Singakademie
9. http://www.abruckner.com/brucknerarchive/ The Bruckner Archive