Prince Albrecht (son) of Prussia

Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Albrecht of Prussia was born on 8 May 1837 in Berlin (Germany). He was the son of Prince Albrecht (father) of Prussia and his wife Princess Marianne, daughter of King William I of the Netherlands. His father was a brother of King Frederick William IV of Prussia and of William I, German Emperor.
Albrecht entered the Prussian army in 1847, serving in the Second Schleswig War in 1864 and participating in the battles of Skalitz, Schweinschädel and Königgrätz in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. In the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 he commanded a guard cavalry brigade at Gravelotte and Sedan. After the fall of the Second Empire, he was subordinated to Edwin von Manteuffel in the fighting around Bapaume and St. Quentin. In 1873 he became commander of the X Corps stationed in Hannover.
In 1883 he succeeded his uncle Karl as Herrenmeister of the Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg).
In 1885, Albrecht was chosen as Regent of the Duchy of Brunswick, after Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, had been prevented from succeeding Duke William of Brunswick.

Prince Albrecht died at Schloss Kamenz on 13 September 1906.

Besides his life in European high nobility and his involvement in military operations, Prince Albrecht (son) of Prussia composed music, mainly military marches. Best known today is his "Parademarsch" from 1861, because it is part of the Prussian Army March Collection and listed under No. III/62.

Very few of the handwritten compositions of Prince Albrecht (son) of Prussia seem to have survived. Parts of his personal archive at Schloss Kamenz and large parts of the Brandenburg-Prussian House Archive were destroyed during the Second World War. However, the Secret State Archives of Prussian Cultural Heritage in Berlin still preserve a collection of archival units relating to Prince Albrecht and his family, mainly correspondence.

In my possession is a handwritten score of the "Siegeshymnus", composed in 1866. According to the title page, the work was intended for a celebration on 1 January 1867, but I have not found any evidence that it was actually performed on that day. The title of the work ("victory hymn") most likely refers to the victory of the Kingdom of Prussia over Austria and its allies in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866.