Arneth Cantata, WAB 61

The Arneth Cantata, WAB 61, is a cantata composed by Anton Bruckner in 1852.

History
Bruckner composed the cantata for the name-day of Michael Arneth, the prior of the St. Florian Abbey. The piece was performed on 29 September 1852 on the evening before Arneth's name day.

The original manuscript is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. A facsimile of the cantata was first published in band II/1, pp. 116–128 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. It is put in Band XXII/1 No. 3a of the Gesamtausgabe.

There are two other versions of this celebratory composition:
 * Auf Brüder! auf zur frohen Feier!, a shortened, 111-bar long version in five movements, on another text of Marinelli, composed in 1857. It was performed on 17 July 1857 as second name-day Cantata for Friedrich Mayer. The original manuscript of this second version is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. It is put in Band XXII/1 No. 3b of the Gesamtausgabe.
 * Heil dir zum schöne Erstlingsfeste. In c. 1870, another text by Beda Piringer was put on the original seven-movement setting of the cantata for a Primitzfeier (celebration of the first Mass) by a newly ordained priest in Kremsmünster. The original score is lost, but copies of it are stored in the archive of the Kremsmünster Abbey. It is not known whether Bruckner was involved in the realisation process of the new setting. This setting is not put in the Gesamtausgabe.

Text
The first version of the cantata is using a text by Franz Ernst Marinelli.

Setting
The 123-bar long work, plus an 18-bar repeat, in D major is scored for SATTBB choir, and brass instruments (3 horns, 2 trumpets and bass-trombone). The trombone functions mostly as bass voice of a horn quartet.

The first version of the cantata (WAB 61a) is in seven movements:
 * 1) Heil Vater! Dir zum hohen Feste: six-voice SATTBB mixed choir (24 bars) - Bewegt
 * 2) An dreißig Jahre mögen's sein: TTBB men's choir a cappella (16 bars) - Mit Gefühl
 * 3) Drum bringen wir mit Jubel heut: six-voice mixed choir (18 bars) - Bewegt
 * 4) Des Herren Ruhm, des Hauses Kraft: men's choir a cappella (16 bars) - Mit Gefühl
 * 5) Drum bringen wir mit Jubel heut: six-voice mixed choir (18 bars) - part 3 da capo
 * 6) Du wirktest treu und bieder hier: men's choir a cappella (19 bars) - Andante
 * 7) Final Choir Sie bringen dir mit Jubel heut': six-voice mixed choir (30 bars) - Nicht zu geschwind

This cantata, the first of three larger-scale occasional compositions, is mostly conventionally diatonic and based on simple structures. Movements two and three are repeated as movements four (with a different text) and five (exact repetition). The work displays already some marks of Bruckner's style. Two horn passages, which recur frequently, provide as in later works musical unity.

Text
The second version of the catata is using a new text by Franz Ernst Marinelli.

Setting
The second version of the cantata (WAB 61b) is in five movements: The repeat of movements two and three was eliminated. The opening section of the first choir was expanded from thirteen bars to fourteen, and last half of movement two was recomposed. The shortened, second version is 111-bar long, plus an 11-bar repeat.
 * 1) Auf, Brüder auf zur frohen Feier!: six-voice SATTBB mixed choir (25 bars) - Bewegt
 * 2) Wo ist das Herz, das Ihn nicht kennt: TTBB men's choir a cappella (19 bars) - Mit Gefühl
 * 3) Nein, nein die Hoffnung täuschet nicht: six-voice mixed choir (18 bars) - Bewegt
 * 4) Drum schlägt das Herz in froher Brust: men's choir a cappella (19 bars) - Andante
 * 5) Final Choir O Herr im Himmel siehe hier: six-voice mixed choir (30 bars) - Nicht zu geschwind