Festgesang, WAB 15
The Festgesang (Festive song), WAB 15, is a cantata composed by Anton Bruckner in 1855. History. This cantata, also called Jodok Cantata, is the last of three larger-scale occasional compositions. Bruckner composed it on 6 December 1855 for the name-day of Jodok Stülz, the dean of the St. Florian Abbey, as a "Farewell to St. Florian", three weeks before he moved to Linz. The piece was intended to be performed on 13 December 1855 (Stülz's name day) or the evening before. The manuscript is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. The  manuscript was retrieved in 1921 by Franz Xaver Müller in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. A facsimile was first published in volume II/2, pp. 241–244 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. It is published in volume XXII/1 no. 5 of the "". Text. The text used for the cantata is by an unknown author: Setting. The in total 143-bar long work in C major is scored for choir and soloists, and piano. The cantata is in six parts: Despite it contains already own ideas of the composer, the 6-part cantata looks somewhat archaic with its two recitatives, arias  and choir parts. The arias look back to baroque examples, in which a basso continuo instrument accompany the solo-singer. The choir parts – a little in the follow of Michael Haydn – refer with imitation phrases to florid counterpoint. Discography. There is a single recording of the "Festgesang":