Music TheoryPrint

Anton Bruckner

Volkslied, WAB 94

The ("National hymn"), WAB 94, is a patriotic song composed by Anton Bruckner in 1882 for a competition for a (Hymn for the German People in

History#

On 16 October 1881, the Deutsche Zeitung invited submissions for a text (for a singable national hymn). From 1,750 texts entered, Josef Winter’s was awarded the first prize. On 1 January 1882 a second invitation appeared for a (Hymn for the German People in Austria), for men’s choir as well as for voice and piano. Bruckner, as one of the 1,320 participants, sent a sample of both settings. No prize was awarded for any of the submissions. The manuscripts are stored in the archive of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek and the Bibliothèque nationale de Paris.

Lyrics#

The song uses Josef Winter’s lyrics:

Music#

There are two settings of the Volkslied WAB 94: * A 34-bar-long setting for voice and piano, which uses the first strophe of Winter’s text.

Setting for voice and piano#

There is no commercial recording of this setting. A live performance by Raymond Armstrong (1 April 2017) is available in the Bruckner Archive.

Setting for men’s choir#

There is a single recording of this setting: *Thomas Kerbl, Männerchorvereinigung, Weltliche Männerchöre – CD: LIVA 054, 2012 – 1st strophe only ;Note: The Volkslied has been performed at the Brucknerfest 2022 (Brucknerfest 2022 - Krieg und Frieden (29-09-2022)). A recording is available in the Bruckner Archive.

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/1: Lieder für Gesang und Klavier (1851–1882), Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag der Internationalen Bruckner-Gesellschaft, Angela Pachovsky (Editor), Vienna, 1997
  • 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. Residenz Verlag, Salzburg, 1996. .
  • Volkslied C-Dur, WAB 94 – Critical discography by Hans Roelofs
  • Volkslied, WAB 94 by Matthieu Thomas de Glong – version for men’s choir
Composer
Anton Bruckner