(In this last of nights), WAB 17, is a motet composed by Anton Bruckner.

History 

Bruckner composed the motet in  at St. Florian Monastery for the celebration of Maundy Thursday. However, it is not known whether it was performed at that time. It was edited first by Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg & Vienna, 1931.

There are two settings: one for soloist and organ, and another for mixed choir a cappella. The manuscript of the setting for soloist and organ is stored in the archive of the city museum of Wels. A transcription of the other setting is found in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.

The two settings of the motet are put in Band XXI/15 of the .

Text 
The text is the first strophe of a 13-strophe text coming from the devoutness book Die heilige Passion, gefeiert in Liedern, Betrachtungen und Gebeten.

{|
|
|style="padding-left:2em;"|In this last of nights
When I prayed at the Mount of Olives,
I was reddened from blood sweat,
Poured it streaming for thee.
Woe! And who knows if ever
you even think of me!
|}

In addition, a transcription using the Latin text In monte oliveti has been published by Theodor Bernhard Rehmann, Edition Peters, Leipzig, 1947.

{|
|
|style="padding-left:2em;"|On the Mount of Olives
He prayed to the Father:
"Father, if it be possible,
Let this cup pass from me.
Let Thy will be done."
|}

Music 
The motet, a 22-bar Passion chorale in F minor. There are two settings: one for soloist and organ, and another for  choir a cappella.

As Crawford Howie writes "Both In jener letzten der Nächte WAB 17 (c. 1848) and Dir, Herr, dir will ich mich ergeben WAB 12 (c. 1845) for a cappella mixed-voice choir are chorale harmonizations, probably the result of [Bruckner's] studies with Zenetti."

Selected discography 
The first recording of Bruckner's In jener letzten der Nächte was by Edith Möller, Obernkrichner Kinderchor, LP: Telefunken SLE 14391, 1965

A selection of the about 10 recordings:

First setting 
 Wilfried Jochens (tenor), Werner Kaufmann (organ), Music of the St. Florian Period (Jürgen Jürgens) - LP: Jerusalem Records ATD 8503, 1984; transferred to CD BSVD-0109, 2011
 Sigrid Hagmüller (alto), Rupert Gottfried Frieberger (organ), Anton Bruckner – Oberösterreichische Kirchenmusik CD: Fabian Records CD 5112, 1995
 Ludmila Kuznetzova (mezzosoprano), Ludmila Golub (organ), Bruckner: Masses and Songs (Valeri Poliansky) - CD: Chandos CHAN 9863, 1998

Second setting 
 Michael Stenov, Cantores Carmeli, Benefizkonzert Karmelitenkirche Linz - CD/DVD issued by the choir, 2006, and on YouTube.
 Rupert Gottfried Frieberger, Cantoria Plagensis, Anton Bruckner – Kirchenmusikalische Werke – Fabian Records CD 5115, 2007
 Thomas Kerbl, Chorvereinigung Bruckner 2011, Anton Bruckner|Lieder Magnificat - CD: Brucknerhaus LIVA 046, 2011
 Philipp von Steinäcker, Vocalensemble Musica Saeculorum, Bruckner: Pange lingua - Motetten - CD: Fra Bernardo FB 1501271, 2015

Note 
 Frieberger's and Stenov's recordings contain both three strophes. The score used by Frieberger is coming from Reinthaler's Chorheft Bruckner, in which strophes 2 and 3 are originating from Brentano's Ausgewählte Gedichte. The score used by Stenov is coming from the religious songbook Unser Kirchenchorbuch für gemischte Stimmen.

References

Sources 
 Anton Bruckner - Sämtliche Werke, Band XXI: Kleine Kirchenmusikwerke, Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag der Internationalen Bruckner-Gesellschaft, Hans Bauernfeind and Leopold Nowak (Editor), Vienna, 1984/2001
 Cornelis van Zwol, Anton Bruckner 1824-1896 - Leven en werken, uitg. Thoth, Bussum, Netherlands, 2012. 
 Crawford Howie, Anton Bruckner - A documentary biography, online revised edition

External links 
 In jener letzten der Nächte WAB 17 (1848) Critical discography by Hans Roelofs 
  - Both settings
  – Latin transcription as In monte Oliveti
 A performance of the first setting can be heard on YouTube:  In jener letzten der Nächte, Robert Holzer, 2011
 A performance of the Latine transcription can be heard on YouTube: In monte Oliveti, Chor von St. Peter, Mannheim, 2011

Motets by Anton Bruckner
1848 compositions
Compositions in F minor