' ("The evening sky"), WAB 56, is a song composed by Anton Bruckner in 1866. It is the second setting of the work. In 1862, Bruckner had already composed a first setting of the song for men's voice quartet.
Bruckner composed this second setting "evening song" Der Abendhimmel on 6 December 1866. He used again the text of Joseph Christian von Zedlitz, which he had already used for the first setting in 1862. Bruckner dedicated the song to ' (singers association of Lower Austria). The piece was performed first by the Wiener Männergesang-Verein (men's singer society of Vienna) on 17 December 1898.
The original manuscript is stored in the archive of ÃÂsterreichische Nationalbibliothek. It was first issued as ' by Doblinger, Vienna in 1902 together with the ', WAB 92 "'". The work is issued in Band XXIII/2, No. 19 of the '.
The 38-bar long work in F major is scored for choir a cappella. This second setting of Der Abendhimmel exhibits several modulations and rests, which are characteristic of Bruckner's later melodies.
A selection among the few recordings of Der Abendhimmel, WAB 56: