The original German title is “Die Martinsgans.”It’s difficult to say what St. Martin this is about and what he has to do with gooses. This link between St. Martin and gooses exists in Germany, France, and several other countries in Europe. Erasmus Wifmz was one of the last German composers of unaccompanied polyphonic music. He wrote many sheets of sacred music but he also enjoyed funny school songs and his contemporaries like Leonhard Lechner, Jakob Meiland, Johannes Eccard and Hans Leo Hassler. This song can be accompanied with the canon of the same title published in the collection “Chansons pour boire et rire à table” (ref. ACJ 53 156).
