' ("The evening sky"), WAB 55, is a song composed by Anton Bruckner in 1862.
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)].
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 ÃÂsterreichische Nationalbibliothek. It was first issued in Band III/2, pp. 18âÂÂ20 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. It is issued in Band XXIII/2, No. 15 of the '.
Der Abendhimmel is using a text of Joseph Christian von Zedlitz.
The 38-bar long work in 6/8 is in A-flat major. It is scored for quartet a cappella.
There are two recordings of Der Abendhimmel, WAB 55: