Anton Diabelli

Trauermarsch auf den Tod des Herrn Michael Haydn für eine Gitarre von seinem Schüler Anton Diabell

The character piece can be found in several occasional compositions in Diabelli's oeuvre. The Funeral March was published in 1806 and its title is intended to provide the performer with the appropriate associative stimulus, as music - unlike poetry - has the task of "artificially presenting" the expression of emotion. In his funeral march, Diabelli does not dispense with the pretension of being sentimental. A concise motivic idea characterizes the three-part structure and, despite the charming major-minor interplay, the context is always maintained. The print of this funeral march, which is presented here in facsimile, has so far only been known in one copy, which is in the music archive of Göttweig Abbey. Presented by Gerhard Walterskirchen.