Was kommt dort von der Höh'? - MVSR1858 | Musica

The composer Franz von Suppè was born in the Dalmatian town of Spalato (modern Split) in 1819. Suppè made his musical career mainly in Vienna, since he had no encouragement in music from his father as a youngster. Following his father’s wishes, he studied law in Padova, while pursuing his musical interests privately, particularly during visits to Milan, where he heard operas by the leading Italian composers of the day. The death of his father made his mother move back to Vienna in 1835. There he studied at the Polytechnics and in the university, before he decided on music as a profession. Finally, in 1840 he started unpaid work as a theater conductor at the ”Theater in der Josefstadt“. In 1845, he moved to the ”Theater an der Wien“, where he composed a number of successful theater pieces, Singspiels, operas and plays with songs. It was in 1860 that he first embarked on the genre of the Viennese operetta with “Das Pensionat”. In 1882 he retired from the ”Theater an der Wien“ and died in 1895. The music for the popular song “What comes there from on High?” may be traced back to the 18th century and allegedly comes from a song called “There is a Mill near Hall”. The piece opens with a dramatic introduction. Then, the popular tune is introduced which is followed by variations that give scope to almost all sections of the band to display their artistry.