Tantum ergo, WAB 42


Tantum ergo, WAB 42, is a setting of the hymn Tantum ergo composed by Anton Bruckner in 1846.

History

Bruckner composed this motet on 9 June 1846 during his stay in St. Florian Abbey. The autograph voice score, without the organ score, is present in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey.
In 1888, Bruckner revised this setting, together with the revision of previous four Tantum ergo. The revised version of the five Tantum ergo was published first by Johann Groß, Innsbruck in 1893.
The 1846 and 1888 versions are put in Band XXI/13 and 38 of the Gesamtausgabe respectively.

Music

The works is scored in D major for [SATB|] choir and organ. The first setting is 36-bar long. The bars 21-32 are optional. In the 31-bar long revised version these optional bars are removed and a 3-bar Amen is added.
This fifth Tantum ergo is characterised by its marked solemness. After a climax on novo cedat rituit it goes on, diminuendo, to an intimate quasi-Mozartian coda.

Selected discography

The first recording occurred in :
  • Ludwig Berberich, Münchner Domchor – 78 rpm: Christschall 118A

1846 version

There are only two recordings of this first version:

1888 version

A selection among the about 20 recordings: