An dem Feste, WAB 59a

History#

Bruckner composed this youth work on a five-strophe text of the parish priest of Kronstorf, Alois Knauer, in 1843, during his stay as schoolteacher’s assistant. He dedicated it to Josef Ritter von Pessler, the parish priest of Enns. The work was performed on 19 September 1843 in the church of Enns. The work, of which the original manuscript is stored in the archive of the Stadt- und Landsbibliothek (City and province library) of Vienna, was first issued in Band I, pp. 231-233, of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Tafellied#

Near the end of his life, Bruckner let Karl Ptak put another text on the song and modified slightly its music score, with as title Tafellied (Table song), WAB 59c. The revised song, the composition of which was finished on 22 February 1893, was performed by the (Choral association of the university of Vienna) on 11 March 1893. Tafellied is issued in Band XXIII/2, No. 36 of the .

Later issues#

In 1928, Anton Böhm & Sohn issued a new version of Bruckner’s popular song transposed to D major with a text by Ludwig Carl Kraus (), with the title Festlied (Festive song). This new issue of the song, which was originally classified by Renate Grasberger as WAB 67, is now put as WAB 59b. Two years later (1930), Anton Böhm & Sohn issued again a new version in C major for mixed choir with a text by Alfred Zehelein ().

Text#

An dem Feste uses a text by Alois Knauer.

Music#

The 20-bar long work (16 bars plus repeat of the last 4 bars) in D-flat major, which is scored for SATB choir, uses five strophes. There is also a setting for SATB choir. The revised, 16-bar long Tafellied uses three strophes.

An dem Feste#

There is a single recording of the original setting : * Thomas Kerbl, Männerchorvereinigung Bruckner 12, Weltliche Männerchöre – CD: LIVA 054, 2012 – 1st and 5th strophes

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#

• An dem Feste Des-Dur, WAB 59; Festlied D-Dur, WAB 67; Tafellied Des-Dur, WAB 86 – Critical discography by Hans Roelofs
• Life performances:
• An dem Feste, WAB 59a: Volksmusik vom Ansfeldner 5’ Gsang und eine Lesung über Anton Bruckner - Mixed vocal quartet, strophes 1 & 2.
• An dem Feste, WAB 59a: Männerchorkonzert ‘Bruckner im Kremstal’ - Pfarrkirche Micheldorf, 17 May 2024 (at 20:20).
• Festlied, WAB 59c, by the Wagner Society Male Choir of Japan, 11 December 1988, Festlied