Der Abendhimmel II WAB 56

The text paints a tender scene of walking with a loved one in the evening twilight, gazing at the moon and stars. The speaker expresses a fervent desire to embrace the beloved and adorn them with celestial light, overcome by blissful passion. Anton Bruckner's setting for TTBB voices captures this intensely romantic, almost ecstatic, yearning. It is a beautiful example of German secular part-song writing from the Romantic era, where words and music combine to create a rich emotional landscape, leading to a final expression of overwhelming joy and longing.