„Auf, du junger Wandersmann“

The history of one of the leading music publishers began with this Franconian folk song. It was the first ever publication by Bärenreiter in the autumn of 1923 and appeared as the first issue of the song books called Finkensteiner Blätter. The title is also a motto: it symbolises the young Wandervogel movement which, with its romanticising ideas, wanted to distinguish itself from modern, urban life. Karl Vötterle, the founder of the publishing house, first encountered this movement as a ten-year-old boy. Günter Bialas composed a set of variations on this song on the occasion of the company’s 40th anniversary.