Bruckner composed this piece a wedding song, for the wedding of his landlord Anton Ölzelt Ritter von Newin with Amalie Edler von Wieser. The piece was to be performed during the ceremony in the church of the Klosterneuburg monastery. However, for personal reasons, the ceremony did not take place. It was originally written for four male voices.

The original manuscript is in the archive of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna. It was first published in 1910 in the yearbook of the Klosterne...