Anton Bruckner on Music Theory Print

Abendklänge, WAB 110

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the piece on 7 June 1866. He dedicated it to Hugo von Grienberger, a civil servant in the district court. It is not known when the piece was performed. The original manuscript is stored in the archive of the . A facsimile of it was first published in Band I, pp. 104–105 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. The work is issued in , Band XII/7.

Music#

The 36-bar long work in E minor is scored for violin and piano. Of the 36 bars only 14 (bars 17-20 and 23-32) are played by the violin.

Abendzauber, WAB 57

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the song on a text of Heinrich von der Mattig on 13 January 1878. He dedicated it to Carl Almeroth. The piece was not performed during the composer’s life, because of its performance difficulties (humming voices). It was first performed in 1911 by Viktor Keldorfer with the Wiener Männergesang-Verein (Vienna men’s choral association), and was thereafter published by the Universal Edition. It was very popular with Austrian choirs during the interbellum. The work, of which the original manuscript is stored in the archive of the Wiener Männergesang-Verein,

Afferentur regi

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

is the second of the two “great motets” during a “fruitful though brief” period of Bruckner’s compositional career following Sechter’s tuition, the other motet being the Ave Maria WAB 6. was premiered in St. Florian Abbey on the feast day of Saint Lucy, 13 December 1861. An early draft for choir alone was found in a monastic archive at Kremsmünster Abbey. The original manuscript is not extant, but several transcriptions were found in the archive of St. Florian Abbey.

Am Grabe, WAB 2

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Am Grabe is a revised a cappella setting of the elegy Vor Arneths Grab, WAB 53. The elegy was performed on the funeral of Josephine Hafferl on 11 February 1861. The original manuscript is stored in the archive of the Liedertafel Frohsinn. The song, which was edited first by Wöß, Universal Edition, in 1924, In addition, an autograph slight revision of the song has been found on an undated copy of the manuscript (Mus.Hs. 2104).

An dem Feste, WAB 59a

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this youth work on a five-strophe text of the parish priest of Kronstorf, Alois Knauer, in 1843, during his stay as schoolteacher’s assistant. He dedicated it to Josef Ritter von Pessler, the parish priest of Enns. The work was performed on 19 September 1843 in the church of Enns. The work, of which the original manuscript is stored in the archive of the Stadt- und Landsbibliothek (City and province library) of Vienna, was first issued in Band I, pp. 231-233, of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Arneth Cantata, WAB 61

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the cantata for the name-day of Michael Arneth, the prior of the St. Florian Abbey. The piece was performed on 29 September 1852 on the evening before Arneth’s name day. The original manuscript is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. A facsimile of the cantata was first published in band II/1, pp. 116–128 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. There are two other versions of this celebratory composition: * Auf Brüder! auf zur frohen Feier!, a shortened, 111-bar long version in five movements, on another text of Marinelli, composed in 1857. It was performed on 17 July 1857 as second name-day Cantata for Friedrich Mayer. The original manuscript of this second version is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. It is put in Band XXII/1 No. 3b of the . This setting is not put in the .

Asperges me, WAB 4

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

In 1843–44, Bruckner composed this first setting of Asperges me during his stay in Kronstorf. It is not known when it was performed at that time.

Music#

The work is a setting of 32 bars in F major of the Asperges me for mixed choir a cappella. According to the Catholic practice, the incipit (“Asperges me”) is not composed and has to be intoned by the priest in Gregorian mode before the choir begins. The score is in two sections. Section 1 (7 bars) begins with “Domine, hysopo” and ends with “dealbabor”. Section 2 (18 bars) begins with the remaining of the text, and is followed by the doxology (“Gloria Patri”). Thereafter the incipit is repeated by the choir in unison, concluded by a da capo of section 1. The second section contains audacious modulations, similar to the contemporaneous Kronstorfer Messe.

Ave Maria (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the motet, also known as Ave Maria II, in 1861. He did this after completing five years of studies with Simon Sechter. Bruckner was their organist and was also from 1860 director of the Liedertafel (choral society) “Frohsinn” The piece, sometimes named an Offertorium, was published together with Tota pulchra es by Emil Wetzler in Vienna in 1867.

Music#

Bruckner set the prayer in F major and scored it for seven unaccompanied voices SAATTBB. It takes about 4 minutes to perform. Bruckner applies his understanding of older styles to express his personal faith with simplicity but “Romantic sensibility of expression”. James Liu notes about Bruckner’s motets in general:

Ave Maria, WAB 5

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this motet on 24 July 1856, five years before his more famous motet, as a present for the name-day of Ignaz Traumihler, choirmaster of St. Florian Abbey. The first performance occurred on 7 October 1856 for the Rosenkranzfest (Feast of the Holy Rosary) in Sankt Florian. The original manuscript is lost, but the score dedicated to Traumihler is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. Copies are also stored in the Kremsmünster Abbey and the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.

Ave Maria, WAB 7

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

When staying in Wels during the summer of 1881 Bruckner met Luise Hochleitner, a singer with a beautiful alto voice. Bruckner promised to dedicate to her an Ave Maria. The work, which was composed on 5 February 1882, —almost 20 years after his more famous motet— is for alto (or baritone) solo voice and keyboard (organ, piano or harmonium). The work was published in 1902 as an appendix to No. 13 of the Neue Musikzeitung, Stuttgart. The first public performance occurred during a concert of the Wiener Akademischer Wagner-Verein on 5 February 1903 by Gisella Seehofer, who then also premiered Bruckner’s Wie bist du, Frühling, gut und treu and Im April. The motet is put in Band XXI/29 of the .

Ave Regina caelorum, WAB 8

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The motet was composed in on request of Ferdinand Schölzig, Master of novices at the Klosterneuburg Abbey. The Marian antiphon was performed first on 25 March 1886 (Feast of the Annunciation). Bruckner’s manuscript is stored in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. The motet was first published in 1910 in the third yearbook of the Klosterneuburg Abbey. It has been re-edited by Wöss in 1921 together with the Zur Vermählungsfeier, WAB 54. It is put in Band XXI/36 of the .

Bruckner Gesamtausgabe

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Content of the first edition#

Twenty-two volumes were foreseen, of which twelve were (partially) issued: *Volume 1: Symphony No. 1, (revised) “Linz version” and “Vienna version”, edited by Robert Haas, 1935 *Volume 2: Symphony No. 2 (“mixed” version), edited by Robert Haas, 1938 *Volume 3: Symphony No. 3, 1873 version, Robert Haas, 1944; editorial material lost in Leipzig’s bombing *Volume 4: Symphony No. 4, second version (1878) with 1880 Finale (a.k.a. 1881 version) – 1878 Volksfest Finale, edited by Robert Haas, 1936 *Volume 5: Symphony No. 5, edited by Robert Haas, 1935 *Volume 6: Symphony No. 6, edited by Robert Haas, 1935 *Volume 7: Symphony No. 7, edited by Robert Haas, 1944 *Volume 8: Symphony No. 8 (“mixed” version), edited by Robert Haas, 1939 *Volume 9: Symphony No. 9, edited by Alfred Orel, 1934 *Volume 10: – *Volume 11: Four Orchestral Pieces, edited by Alfred Orel, 1934 *Volume 12: – *Volume 13: Mass No. 2, second version, edited by Robert Haas and Leopold Nowak 1940 *Volume 14: Mass No. 3, edited by Robert Haas, 1944 *Volume 15: Requiem and Missa solemnis, edited by Robert Haas, 1930

Christus factus est, WAB 10

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the motet in 1873, and it was first performed on 8 December 1873 in the Wiener Hofmusikkapelle for the celebration of Mariä Empfängnis (feast of the Immaculate Conception). The manuscript, a copy of which is archived at the Austrian National Library, was destroyed in 1945. According to R. Luna, this “would mean that he conceived the work ideally for eight-part choir with brief interventions of the trombones and that he had written the strings colla parte to prevent any intonation problems. The work was published first by Ludwig Berberich in Vienna in 1934 without string instruments (the violins being replaced by the alto voice during bars 1-14). The new edition (Nowak-Bauernfeind) is in accordance with the original manuscript.

Christus factus est, WAB 11

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this motet, which uses the gradual of Maundy Thursday, on 25 May 1884. The piece was performed six months later, on 9 November, in the Wiener Hofmusikkapelle. Bruckner dedicated the work to Oddo Loidol, one of his students. The piece was published together with three other graduals (, WAB 23, , WAB 30, and , WAB 52) by Theodor Rättig, Vienna in 1886. The motet was published in volume XXI/30 of the .

Das edle Herz, WAB 65

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this work on a text of Ernst Marinelli in during his stay in St. Florian. He composed it for the name day of Johann Nepomuk Paulitsch, a member of the St. Florian choir. It is not known whether the work was performed during Bruckner’s life. The original manuscript, which became in-between lost, was found in the legacy of Bruckner’s friend Rudolf Weinwurm. and, thereafter, in 1994 in the Connecticut College. Bruckner composed a second setting on the same text for mixed choir (WAB 66) in 1857.

Das edle Herz, WAB 66

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the second setting of the work on the same text of Ernst Marinelli in December 1857 during his stay in Linz. It is not known whether the work, which was composed possibly on request of Liedertafel Frohsinn for a performance as mixed choir, was performed during Bruckner’s life.

Music#

The second stetting of Das edle Herz is in the same key and is 8-bars shorter than the first setting of the song. The 38-bar long work in 4/4 time is scored in A major for SATB choir. The score ends with a 4-bar, instead of 13-bar, chorale.

Das hohe Lied, WAB 74

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed Das hohe Lied on a text of Heinrich von der Mattig on 31 December 1876 as homage to the (Academic singing association of Vienna). is a German name of the Song of Songs, which is possibly an intentional allusion. During the rehearsals, the choir found the work difficult to perform because of the use of humming voices. Therefore, conductor Richard Heuberger asked Bruckner to revise the work. When revising the work in 1879, Bruckner added an accompaniment of strings and brass instruments. On 10 December 1879 a new rehearsal occurred under Bruckner’s baton, but was not followed by a public performance. The first public performance occurred posthumously in 1902 in a transcription by Hans Wagner. The original manuscript is stored in the archive of the . Wagner’s transcription was issued by Doblinger, Vienna in 1902. The original setting of 1876 is issued in Band XXIII/2, No. 27 of the . The revised setting of 1879 is put in an Appendix to Band XXIII/2 of the .

Das Lied vom deutschen Vaterland, WAB 78

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this work on a text of an unknown author during his stay in St. Florian. He dedicated it to Hans Schläger, the founder of the St. Florian choir. The original manuscript is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. It was performed on 11 November 1921 in St. Florian by Franz Xaver Müller for the 25th anniversary of the composer’s death.

Lyrics#

“Das Lied vom deutschen Vaterland” uses lyrics by an unknown author.

Der Abendhimmel, WAB 55

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this first setting of “evening song” Der Abendhimmel in January 1862. He used for the composition a text of Joseph Christian von Zedlitz, which he would also use for a second setting of the song in 1866. Bruckner dedicated the song to the men’s quartet Anton Munsch Anton Munsch (1st tenor), Anton Stiefler (2nd tenor), Eduard Benoni (1st bass) and Mathias Weissmann (2nd bass) . The piece was performed first in a transcription for men’s choir by the Liedertafel Frohsinn on 4 July 1900. The commentator of the (7 July 1900) wrote over a (a wonderful composition of our national master Dr. Anton Bruckner). It was first issued in Band III/2, pp. 18–20 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Der Abendhimmel, WAB 56

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this second setting “evening song” Der Abendhimmel on 6 December 1866. He used again the text of Joseph Christian von Zedlitz, which he had already used for the first setting in 1862. Bruckner dedicated the song to (singers association of Lower Austria). The piece was performed first by the Wiener Männergesang-Verein (men’s singer society of Vienna) on 17 December 1898. It was first issued as by Doblinger, Vienna in 1902 together with the , WAB 92 “”.

Der deutsche Gesang, WAB 63

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed on 29 April 1892 for the (First German-academic singers’ festival), which would happen in Salzburg in June 1892. The performance on 5 June under the baton of Raoul Mader was a "" (a huge success). The original manuscript is stored in the archive of the in Vienna. The song was first published in 1911 by Viktor Keldorfer (Universal Edition).

Lyrics#

The song uses lyrics by Erich Fels, pseudonym of Aurelius Polzer:

Der Lehrerstand, WAB 77

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this plea for the teachers on a text possibly of Ernst Marinelli in during his stay in Sankt Florian. Bruckner dedicated the work to his superior, schoolmaster Michael Bogner. The song was possibly performed by the Liedertafel St. Florian for celebrating Bogner’s 45th birthday. The original manuscript of the work is lost, but copies are stored in the archives of the Liedertafel St. Florian and of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. The work, which was first issued in Band II/2, pp. 16–22, of the Göllerich/Auer biography,

Der Mondabend (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Der Mondabend, WAB 200, is a lied in A major which Bruckner composed during his stay in St. Florian for his piano pupil Aloisia Bogner in . The 16-year old Aloisia Bogner, alias Louise or Luise Bogner, was the older daughter of Michael Bogner, by whom Bruckner had his living accommodation. Bruckner composed for her also the Frühlingslied and the piano works Lancier-Quadrille, WAB 120, and Steiermärker, WAB 122. The manuscript of the lied is part of the workbook , which also contains transcriptions of Friedrich Silcher’s Ännchen von Tharau, from Anton Emil Titl’s opera , and Franz Wilhelm Abt’s waltz . The workbook, which was in the legacy of Aloisia Bogner, was acquired in 1957 by the in Upper Austria. A facsimile of the workbook has been issued in the Oberösterreichische Schriften zur Volksmusik in 2015. The premiere recording of the lied is by on 23 June 2015.

Des Dankes Wort sei mir vergönnt, WAB 62

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this song on a text of Ernst Marinelli between 1845 and 1855, during his stay in Sankt Florian. He dedicated the work as thanks to Earl Charles O’Hegerty, the occupant of Tillysburg Castle, near Sankt Florian. It is not known when the song was performed at that time. On 13 May 1996 the work was performed again on the authentic location (Tillysburg Castle). The original manuscript of the work is lost, but a copy by Karl Aigner is stored in the archives of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. The work is issued in Band XXIII/2, No. 11 of the .

Die Geburt, WAB 69

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this work on a text of an unknown author in 1851 during his stay in St. Florian. On 19 March 1852, he dedicated the song to his friend Josef Seiberl to celebrate his name day. It is not known whether it was performed at that time. The original manuscript is stored in the archive of Wels. The work, which was first issued in Band II/2, pp. 147-150, of the Göllerich/Auer biography,

Dir, Herr, dir will ich mich ergeben

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the motet in either during his stay in Kronstorf or at the beginning of his stay in St. Florian Abbey. The original manuscript, on which the Tantum ergo, WAB 43 is also found, is in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. The motet was first published in volume II/3, pp. 114–115 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Text#

: This text, which was also used by Felix Mendelssohn in his oratorio Paulus, is based on the ninth verse of the hymn Herr Gott, du kennest meine Tage by Ludwig Rudolph von Senftt zu Pilsach over the Stoning of Stephen.

Du bist wie eine Blume, WAB 64

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the song on a text of Heinrich Heine on 5 December 1861. On request of his friend Alois Weinwurm, Bruckner composed the song for the opening concert of the Liedertafel Sängerbund. The piece was performed 10 days later under Bruckner’s baton in the of Linz by four soloists: Hermine and Wilhelmine Ritter, Heinrich Knoll and Ferdinand Hummel. The piece became a favourite of Sängerbund. Bruckner’s manuscript of 5 December 1861 (A-LIsakaWAB64) is stored in the archive of the city of Linz. Another undated work manuscript (Mus.Hs.3166) is stored in the archive of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. A copy of this work manuscript was first published in Band III/2, pp. 193–196 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Ecce sacerdos magnus (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

This work was composed at the request of Johann Burgstaller, to be performed at the Linz Cathedral on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the diocese. It was completed by 28 April 1885 and sent to Burgstaller in mid-May. However, the work was not performed at that event, nor at any other event in Bruckner’s lifetime. The work, the manuscript of which is archived at the Wiener Männer-Sangverein, The motet is issued in Band XXI/33 of the .

Entsagen, WAB 14

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the cantata for the name-day of Michael Arneth, the prior of the St. Florian Abbey. The piece was intended to be performed on Arneth’s name-day. It is not known when it was performed. Why Bruckner has chosen this unsound text for the name-day of his Maecenas remains unexplained. Perhaps he has put so into music his resignation following his father’s death or Aloisia Bogner’s refusal of his proposal of marriage. The manuscript is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. A facsimile of the cantata was first issued in band II/2, pp. 47–58 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. The cantata was thereafter issued by Ludwig Daxsperger in 1956.

Festgesang, WAB 15

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

This cantata, also called Jodok Cantata, is the last of three larger-scale occasional compositions. Bruckner composed it on 6 December 1855 for the name-day of Jodok Stülz, the dean of the St. Florian Abbey, as a “Farewell to St. Florian”, three weeks before he moved to Linz. The piece was intended to be performed on 13 December 1855 (Stülz’s name day) or the evening before. The manuscript is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. A facsimile was first published in volume II/2, pp. 241–244 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Festive Cantata (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

To celebrate the laying of the foundation stone of the new (Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception) of Linz, bishop Franz-Josef Rudigier asked Bruckner for a cantata. Bruckner responded enthusiastly with the composition of the Festive Cantata Preiset den Herrn (Praise the Lord) on a text of the theologian Maximilian Pammesberger. On 1 May 1862 the foundation stone was laid. To celebrate the event the cantata was performed by the choir Frohsinn, invited guest singers and the brass band of the Infantry Regiment Freiherr von Bamberg No. 13 under the baton of Engelbert Lanz. The Festive Cantata, WAB 16, is the first notable religious work that Bruckner composed after his strenuous study period by Sechter. It will be followed one year later by Psalm 112 (1863), and again one year later by the secular cantata Germanenzug and the first great mass, Mass No. 1 in D minor (1864). The Festive Cantata was performed by Theodor Guschlbauer on 6 September 1980 during the Brucknerfest. A recording of this performance is available in the Bruckner Archive. The Cantata was also performed on 10 June 2022 during a concert to celebrate Neeme Järvi’s 85th anniversary. The manuscript of the cantata is stored in the archive of the Episcopacy of Linz. A facsimile was first published in volume III/2, pp. 197–216 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Four Orchestral Pieces (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

During the summer of 1862, when studying with Otto Kitzler in Linz, Bruckner composed his first instrumental work, the String Quartet in C minor. Thereafter, Kitzler asked him to orchestrate the opening of the first movement of Beethoven’s Sonate pathétique. In the fall of the same year, Bruckner tried his hand at own orchestral compositions. These “first arms” resulted in four small orchestral pieces: the Marsch (March) in D minor and the Drei Sätze für Orchester (Three Pieces for orchestra). The original manuscript is found in the Kitzler-Studienbuch: * Sketch and discarded first Trio for the March in D minor: pp. 251–252 * March in D minor: pp. 253–265 (dated 12 October 1862) * Three Orchestral Pieces: pp. 266–271 (undated), 272–277 (dated 10 November 1862), 278–286 (dated 16 November 1862) A score of the Four Orchestral Pieces was given by Bruckner to his friend Cyrill Hynais, together with that of the Overture in G minor and the Symphony in F minor. These scores are stored in the archive of the of Vienna.

Four Tantum ergo, WAB 41

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed these four motets A.M.D.G. in 1846 at the beginning of his stay at St. Florian Abbey. The original manuscript, which was stored in the archive of Neuer Dom of Linz, was lost in the process. Voice scores can still be found in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. In 1888, Bruckner revised these four settings, as well as the next setting in D major. The revised version of the five Tantum ergo was published first by Johann Groß, Innsbruck in 1893. In this first edition the ordering for the 4 compositions was deviating from the original ordering by the composer. The WAB ordering, which is based on this first edition, deviates also from the original ordering by the composer.

Frühlingslied, WAB 68

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the lied on a text of Heinrich Heine in 1851 for “the name-day of a blossoming spring rose” (), Bruckner’s 16-year old pupil Aloisia Bogner, for whom he also composed Der Mondabend and the piano works Lancier-Quadrille, WAB 120, and Steiermärker, WAB 122. The manuscript is stored in the archive of the of Linz.

Text#

Frühlingslied is based on a text by Heinrich Heine, with one minor change:

Germanenzug

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

After the completion of Psalm 112, Bruckner composed Germanenzug in July 1863. It is the first major example of occasional pieces set to secular texts Bruckner would write throughout his career for the Liedertafeln. Bruckner entered it for a competition at the first , scheduled for August 1864 in Linz. Bruckner’s original intention was to use the Zigeuner-Waldlied, a lost work (WAB 135), as basis for this entry, but after correspondence with Silberstein and his close friend Rudolf Weinwurm, Bruckner replaced it with the patriotic poem of the Viennese poet and journalist August Silberstein. During the spring of 1864, the festival was postponed. It was rescheduled for 4–6 June 1865, and renamed . Bruckner fine-tuned his composition till August 1864 before submission. The work, the manuscript of which is stored in the archive of the Kremsmünster Abbey, is put in Band XXII/2 No. 7 of the .

Helgoland (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

One year earlier, Bruckner had already composed another, shorter patriotic work, Der deutsche Gesang (WAB 63), that was premiered at the First German Academic Song Festival in Salzburg in June 1892. Helgoland was composed in April 1893 for the Men’s Choir of Vienna to celebrate its 50th birthday. The text was written by August Silberstein, who had already provided poems set to music by Bruckner (Germanenzug in 1864 and Vaterlandslied in 1866). The setting was a case of interest, as the Frisian island of Heligoland had just been given to Germany in 1890 by Great Britain (in exchange for Zanzibar). Helgoland was conducted on 8 October 1893 by the Men’s Choir of Vienna and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Eduard Kremser’s baton in the Winterreitschule of the Hofburg Palace.

Herbstkummer, WAB 72

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the lied on the text of “Ernst”, in April 1864 during his stay in Linz. It is not known for which purpose the lied was composed. The original manuscript is lost, but a copy of it is stored in the archive of the . A transcription by Emil Posch is also found in the city archive of Linz.

Text#

The song uses a text by “Ernst”.

Music#

The 62-bar long work in E minor is scored for solo voice and piano. The emotional mood of the romantic text is outlined by triplet figures on the piano, chromatic developments, fermata, pauses and the contrast E major/E minor.

Herbstlied, WAB 73

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the song on a text of Friedrich von Sallet on 19 March 1864. Bruckner dedicated the song to his friend Josef Hafferl, chairman of the Liedertafel Frohsinn. The piece was performed on 24 November 1864 in the of Linz by Frohsinn under Bruckner’s baton, with Marie Schimatschek and Anna Bergmann as soloists. A copy of the work, of which the original manuscript is lost, is stored in the archive of the Liedertafel Frohsinn.

Herz Jesu-Lied

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

If Bruckner was the composer, he composed the motet in 1845–46 during his stay in St. Florian Abbey. The text is a hymn to the Sacred Heart. The motet was first published in band II/2, pp. 11–12 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Music#

The work of 24-bar in B-flat major, which is scored for mixed choir and organ, contains two short passages for tenor and bass soloists, and soprano soloist, respectively, and ends with an organ postlude.

Iam lucis orto sidere, WAB 18

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this motet in the summer of 1868 for the (“Guardian angel confraternity”) of Wilhering Abbey. Bruckner dedicated it to Adolf Dorfer, the abbot of the abbey. Bruckner set the music on the text written by Robert Riepl, one of the priests working at the abbey. The motet was performed in the same year in the abbey. Riepl’s text is an adaptation of the text used by Orlande de Lassus. Bruckner’s original manuscript, which was stored in the abbey, is lost. A copy of it is stored in the archive of the Kremsmünster Abbey and two other copies are found in the Austrian National Library. The motet was published in 1868 by the Wilhering Abbey. In 1886, Bruckner made a new version of the motet for men’s choir, which was published in the journal , volume 1, no. 8, p. 240, F. Mamroth, Vienna. The includes two settings of the 1868 version in volume XXI/24, and the 1886 setting in volume XXI/35.

Im April, WAB 75

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the lied on a text by Emanuel Geibel during his stay in Linz. He dedicated the lied to his pupil Helene Hofmann, Pauline Hofmann’s younger sister. The date of composition is uncertain. It was originally supposed that the lied was composed in 1868. during which Seehofer also sang Bruckner’s Ave Maria, WAB 7 and Wie bist du, Frühling, gut und treu.

Text#

The song uses a text by Emanuel Geibel.

In jener letzten der Nächte

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the motet in at St. Florian Monastery for the celebration of Maundy Thursday. However, it is not known whether it was performed at that time. It was edited first by Anton Böhm & Sohn, Augsburg & Vienna, 1931.

Text#

The text is the first strophe of a 13-strophe text coming from the devoutness book Die heilige Passion, gefeiert in Liedern, Betrachtungen und Gebeten. : In addition, a transcription using the Latin text In monte oliveti has been published by Theodor Bernhard Rehmann, Edition Peters, Leipzig, 1947. :

Intermezzo in D minor (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner completed his String Quintet in 1879 for a group headed by Joseph Hellmesberger Sr. However, Hellmesberger found the work’s “curious, elfin scherzo” to be too challenging for the group to perform. The Intermezzo (WAB 113) was in the same key (D minor) as the original scherzo and used the same trio section, but its tempo was slower and it was less technically challenging. The Intermezzo was originally intended as a less difficult alternative to the scherzo of the Quintet. The Intermezzo, which became an independent work scored for string quintet, was premiered on 23 January 1904 in Vienna by the Fitzner Quartet during a concert of the . There is no record of an earlier public performance. The manuscript of the Intermezzo is stored in the archive of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. It appeared in a complete critical edition in 1963, as appendix to the String Quintet, in Band XIII of the edited by Leopold Nowak.

Inveni David, WAB 19

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the motet on 21 April 1868 at the end of his stay in Linz. He wrote it for the 24th anniversary of the . The first performance occurred on 10 May 1868 as offertory of a mass of Antonio Lotti. The manuscript is archived at the Linzer Singakademie (Frohsinn-archive). The motet was first published in band III/2, pp. 239–244 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Music#

The text is taken from Psalm 89 (). : The work is a setting of 46 bars in F minor for SATB choir and 4 trombones. The last 16 bars consist of an Alleluja, for which Bruckner drew his inspiration from the Hallelujah of Händel’s Messiah, on which he often improvised on the organ.

Kitzler Study Book

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description#

The workbook is composed of 163 pages of different sizes in landscape format (326 numbered pages) in chronological order, some of them dated, from (Holy Night, 1861) on p. 30, to 10 July 1863 on p. 325. The workbook contains autograph sketches, comments, complete and partial compositions, which are displaying a rigorous tuition in musical formatting and instrumentation. The first entries (pp. 1-18) are exercises in musical form: cadences and periods. They are followed (pp. 18-57) by lieder in two and three parts, and (pp. 58-218) by pieces for piano and string quartet: waltz, polka, mazurka, études, theme and variations, rondos, sonata form, etc., and the String Quartet in C minor and its additional Rondo. The exercises in form are followed (pp. 218–250) by exercises of instrumentation, among others the orchestration of the first movement of Beethoven’s Sonate pathétique (introduction and exposition, repetition and coda). These exercises are followed (pp; 251–326) by Bruckner’s first orchestral compositions: the Four Orchestral Pieces (March in D minor and Three Orchestral Pieces), and sketches for the Overture in G minor and the Symphony in F minor.

Kronstorfer Messe

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the Kronstorfer Messe, WAB 146, in 1843–1844, while he was a schoolteacher’s assistant in Kronstorf. This Choral-Messe in D minor for mixed choir a cappella was presumably intended for the Lenten season. The work, the manuscript of which was archived in the St. Florian Monastery, was premiered by Augustinus Franz Kropfreiter on 1 December 1974 in the church of the monastery. The work is put in Band XXI/41 of the .

Laßt Jubeltöne laut erklingen

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this “cantata” on a text of Hillischer in 1854. The piece was intended to be sung by the Frohsinn for the Joyous Entry of Elisabeth of Bavaria, then the bride of Franz Joseph of Austria, known as Sisi, in Linz on 22 April 1854. A facsimile of the work with Naaf’s text was first published in band III/2, pp. 162–179 of the Göllerich/Auer biography, with Hillischer’s original text in footnote.

Libera me, WAB 21

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the motet during his stay in Kronstorf. The work was presumably performed at that time. The original manuscript is lost, but there are two good copies, one made by Max Auer (Kronstorf, 1903). The motet was first published in band I, pp. 243–248 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Music#

The work is scored in F major for mixed choir and organ. In this youth work, two parts of the responsory are not included: the second “Quando caeli movendi sunt et terra” and the second “Dum veneris iudicare saeculum per ignem”.

Libera me, WAB 22

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the motet during his stay in Sankt Florian for the absoute of the funeral of prelate Michael Arneth. The original manuscript is lost, but several copies of it are found in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey, the Kremsmünster Abbey and the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. The motet was first published in an appendix of band 7-10 of Musica divina, Vienna, 1922. It is put in Band XXI/17 of the .

Locus iste (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed Locus iste on 11 August 1869. It was intended for the dedication ceremony of the () at the New Cathedral in Linz, Austria. The New Cathedral was under construction since 1862, and the was completed in 1869 as its first section. At that time Bruckner lived in Vienna, teaching at the Vienna Conservatory as a professor of harmony and counterpoint, and at the Vienna University as a part-time lecturer from 1876. He had a strong connection to the Old Cathedral of Linz, where he had been the organist from 1855 to 1868. The Latin text of Locus iste is the gradual , part of the proper of the mass for Kirchweih, the anniversary of a church’s dedication. While some sources claim that the motet was first performed on the dedication day, 29 September 1869, together with the first performance of Bruckner’s Mass in E minor, it was actually performed four weeks later, on 29 October, at the same location. Bruckner dedicated the work to Oddo Loidol, one of his students at the Vienna Conservatory. It was Bruckner’s first motet composed in Vienna. The motet, the manuscript of which is put in the collection Dr Wilhelm, Bottmingen, was edited together with three other motets based on graduals (, WAB 11, , WAB 30, and , WAB 52) by Theodor Rättig, Vienna in 1886.

Magnificat (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the work for the Vesper service of the feast of the Assumption of Mary. He dedicated the work to Ignaz Traumihler, the choirmaster of the St. Florian Abbey. The work was premiered on 15 August 1852 in St. Florian. Despite the fact that Traumihler was a fervent adept of the Cecilian Movement, the work remained in the repertoire of the monastery. Other performances occurred on 25 December 1852, 15 May 1854, 25 December 1854 and 27 May 1855. On 25 June 2017 a new edition of the score by Cohrs, prepared for the , has been premiered by Łukasz Borowicz with the RIAS Kammerchor and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.

Mass No. 1 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

After he had ended his eight-year study period with Sechter and Kitzler and he had composed a few smaller works, such as the Festive Cantata (1862) and Psalm 112 (1863), Bruckner composed his first grand Mass, the Mass in D minor. He completed the work on 29 September 1864. The premiere of the Mass in the old Linz Cathedral on 20 November 1864 was successful. A laudatory review in the Linzer Zeitung described Bruckner’s potential as a symphonic composer and ranked the D minor Mass in the highest echelon of church music. Four weeks later, the Mass was performed again during a “Concert spirituel” in the Linzer Redoutensaal. Because there was no organ available in the Redoutensaal, Bruckner composed an alternative with woodwinds (clarinets and bassoons) for the short organ intermezzo in the mid-section of the Credo (manuscript Mus.Hs. 3170). Bruckner’s manuscript (Mus.Hs. 19423) and the organ score are archived in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. Bruckner revised the work in 1876 and again in 1881–1882. The (small) differences between the versions concern mainly annotations about articulation and dynamics.

Mass No. 2 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The bishop of Linz, Franz-Josef Rudigier, had already commissioned a Festive cantata from Bruckner in 1862 to celebrate the laying of the foundation stone of the new cathedral, the Maria-Empfängnis-Dom. In 1866, he asked Bruckner for a mass to celebrate the accomplishment of the construction of the Votive Chapel of the new cathedral. Because of a delay in completing the construction, the celebration of the dedication didn’t take place until three years later, on 29 September 1869 on the Neuer Domplatz. The performers were the Liedertafel Frohsinn, the Sängerbund and Musikverein of Linz, and the wind band of the k.k. Infanterieregiment ‘Ernst Ludwig, Großherzog von Hessen und bei Rhein Nr. 14’. The manuscript and the are archived in the episcopate of Linz. Bruckner subjected the work to far-reaching revision in 1869, 1876, and 1882. The second version of 1882 was performed on 4 October 1885 in the Alter Dom, Linz by the Liedertafel Frohsinn, the Sängerbund and Musikverein of Linz under the baton of Adalbert Schreyer.

Mass No. 3 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

After the 1867 success of his Mass No. 1 in D minor, Bruckner was commissioned “to write a new Mass for the Burgkapelle”. Bruckner wrote the first version between Septembers 1867–1868 in Linz (just before his move to Vienna). The first rehearsals, conducted by Johann Herbeck at the court church, the Augustinerkirche, took place in 1868 or 1869, but “were badly attended by orchestral players” and were “generally unsuccessful”. Herbeck changed his opinion of the piece, claiming to know only two masses: this one and Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. Franz Liszt and even Eduard Hanslick praised the piece. The manuscript is archived at the Austrian National Library. After the third performance (30 July 1876), Bruckner made slight revisions on the “Kyrie” and the “Gloria”, and in 1877 on the “Credo”. mainly to address “difficulties of execution”, but also to take into account what he had learned from studying Mozart’s Requiem, correcting some instances of parallel octaves if not justified by Mozart’s example. In some later performances, Bruckner was in the organ loft rather than on the podium. In the 1890s Bruckner was still revising the work, but there were very few changes made to the vocal parts after 1868. At a November 1893 performance of this mass, Johannes Brahms “applauded … so enthusiastically … that Bruckner personally thanked him”. The composer dedicated the piece to Hofrat Anton Ritter von Imhof-Geißlinghof at “the last minute”. Leopold Nowak, however, believed that the piece was actually dedicated to conductor Johann Herbeck.

Mayer Cantata, WAB 60

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the cantata for the name-day of Friedrich Mayer, the prior of the St. Florian Abbey. The piece was performed on 17 July 1855 on the evening before Mayer’s name day. The Mayer Cantata, composed one year after the Missa solemnis, was the penultimate large work composed by Bruckner during his stay in St. Florian. Five months later, three weeks before he moved to Linz, he composed the cantata , WAB 15, “Farewell to St. Florian”. An excerpt of the cantata was first published in band II/2, pp. 230–239 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Mein Herz und deine Stimme, WAB 79

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the lied on a text of August von Platen, in 1868 during his stay in Linz. He dedicated it to Pauline Hofmann, sister of his pupil Helene Hofmann. The original manuscript is lost, but a copy of it is stored in the archive of the .

Text#

The song is based on a text by August von Platen, to which Bruckner made three small changes:

Music#

The 60-bar long work in A major is scored for solo voice and piano. The continuous triplet figures on the piano ensure a uniform background for the song.

Messe für den Gründonnerstag

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the , a Choral-Messe in F major (WAB 9) for mixed choir a cappella, in 1844 while he was a schoolteacher’s assistant in Kronstorf. Bruckner dedicated the work to A.M.D.G. The work, the manuscript of which is stored in the archive of Wels, was first published in band I, pp. 258–274 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. Thereafter, only the Gradual Christus factus est was issued by Anton Böhm & Sohn in 1931,

Military march (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this for him unique work on 12 August 1865 during his stay in Linz, at the time when he was composing his first symphony, He composed this occasional work for the (Military band of the hunting troop) in Linz, as a gesture of appreciation for its participation in performances of two of his works, the festive cantata Preiset den Herrn and Germanenzug. However, it is not known whether it ever was performed by this military band. In the Bruckner-Handbuch is only noted that the march was presumably performed in Linz in 1865.

Missa solemnis (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the Missa solemnis in 1854 for the installation of Friedrich Mayer as abbot of St. Florian Monastery. The Missa solemnis was performed during the installation of Friedrich Mayer on 14 September 1854. After Robert Führer saw the score, he suggested Bruckner study with Simon Sechter, and after seeing the mass, Sechter accepted Bruckner as a pupil. With the possible exception of Psalm 146, the Missa solemnis was the last major work Bruckner wrote before concluding his studies with Sechter, who did not allow his students to compose freely while studying with him. A second performance of the Missa solemnis occurred two years after Bruckner’s death, on 4 May 1898 (feast day of Saint Florian), in the St. Florian Abbey under the baton of choir director Berhard Deubler. On 29 March 1921, the Missa solemnis was performed again by August Göllerich during the seventh concert of the Linzer Bruckner-Stiftung.

Mitternacht, WAB 80

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the song on a text of Joseph Mendelssohn in November 1869, for the 25th anniversary of Linz Liedertafel Frohsinn. The piece was performed on 15 May 1870 by Frohsinn in the in Linz. The work, of which the original manuscript is stored in the archive of Liedertafel Frohsinn,

Text#

Mitternacht uses a text by Joseph Mendelssohn.

Music#

The 84-bar long work in A-flat major is scored for SATB choir, tenor soloist and piano. Strophe 1 is sung by the choir with an ostinato of the piano. In strophe 2, bars 49-58 (), the soloist is singing with accompaniment of the choir and unison lines of sixteenth notes of the piano. The piece is ending pianissimo.

Nachruf, WAB 81a

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the song on a text of Heinrich von der Mattig on 19 October 1877 in memory of his friend Joseph Seiberl, who died on 10 June 1877. The piece was performed nine days later by the Liedertafel Sängerbund in the St. Florian Abbey. The work, of which the original manuscript is stored in the Library of Congress in Washington, was first issued in Band XXIII/2, No. 28a of the .

O Du liebes Jesu-Kind

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

If Bruckner composed the motet attributed to him, he wrote it presumably in 1845–46 during his stay in St. Florian Abbey. The work was intended for the celebration of Holy Innocents’ Day, remembering the Massacre of the Innocents. The motet was first published in band II/2, p. 13 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. The last two bars, which are on the back of the manuscript together with a transcription of a Christmas carol, were missing in this first publication.

Os justi (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this gradual on 18 July 1879 and dedicated it to Ignaz Traumihler, choirmaster of St. Florian Abbey. When Traumihler saw the manuscript, he asked: "" (Is this the whole text?) Therefore, Bruckner added on 28 July 1879 a verse Inveni David in a Gregorian mode followed by a repeat of the Alleluja. While the first performance was expected on Traumihler’s name-day (31 July 1879), it finally occurred four weeks later on 28 August 1879 on the feast of Saint Augustinus. Traumihler conducted while Bruckner played the organ. The work was first edited by Theodor Rättig, Vienna in 1886, together with three other graduals: Locus iste, Christus factus est and Virga Jesse. This first edition did not include the extra verse (Inveni David) and the repeat of the Alleluja. The verse and the repeat of the Alleluja were classified by Grasberger as a separate work (Inveni David, WAB 20). – is put in Band XXI/28 of the .

Overture (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

In the fall of 1862, when studying with Otto Kitzler in Linz, Bruckner composed his first orchestral compositions: the Four Orchestral Pieces (the March in D minor and the Three Pieces for orchestra). His next orchestral composition was an Overture in G minor, WAB 98. A sketch of the Overture, which was started in November 1862, is found in the Kizler-Studienbuch pp. 287–301. A first version of the Overture was completed on 24 December 1862. On 6 January 1863 Bruckner started with the composition of a new coda, which he finished on 22 January 1863. The original manuscript of the Overture contains both the 1863 version and, on pp. 44–50, its 1862 coda. The manuscript, of which sheet No. 7 (bars 188-212) is missing, is stored in the archive of the Kremsmünster Abbey. A copy of the complete score of the Overture was given by Bruckner to his friend Cyrill Hynais, together with that of the Four Orchestral Pieces and the Symphony in F minor. These scores are stored in the archive of the of Vienna. The Overture was first performed by Franz Moißl on 8 September 1921 in Klosterneuburg.

Pange lingua, WAB 31

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the motet in when, as eleven-year-old boy, he was studying by Johann Baptist Weiß in Hörsching. It is not known whether it was performed at that time. In 1891, towards the end of his life, Bruckner “restored” this beloved very first composition. The first version of the work, the original manuscript of which is lost, was found as a transcription by Franz Bayer, Steyr. The transcription of the first version and the manuscript of the 1891 version are stored in the archive of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. The first version was first published in band II/1, p. 228 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Pange lingua, WAB 33

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the motet on 31 January 1868 at the end of his stay in Linz. Bruckner’s original intention was to have it performed at the same time as the first performance of his Mass in E minor for the dedication of the votive chapel in Linz, the first part of the New Cathedral. Bruckner heard his work only twenty years later. The first performance occurred on 18 August 1890 (the emperor’s birthday) in the of Steyr. In 1885 he asked Bruckner for a composition to be included in Musica sacra (Regensburg), the movement’s journal, in which he issued a transcription of the motet. Witt modified the alto part without Bruckner’s agreement, removing “some of the work’s more daring harmonies”.

Psalm 112 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed it in 1863 in Linz, after he had ended his studies under Sechter and Kitzler. In the same year he also composed his Study Symphony in F minor. “His next large choral work after this Psalm was to be the powerful Mass in D minor of the following year, the first of the three great masses.” The original manuscript is stored in the archive of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. In the manuscript, the recapitulation of the first part stops after the first five bars. It is unknown whether the work was performed during Bruckner’s life. It has been first edited by Wöss in 1926. Presumably, it was performed at first on 14 March 1926 in Vöcklabruck by Max Auer. The work has been critically re-edited by Paul Hawkshaw in 1996 in Band XX/5 of the .

Psalm 114 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The work was composed in 1852 in St. Florian. Bruckner dedicated it to Hofkapelmeister Ignaz Assmayr for the celebration of his name-day. The work was rehearsed at that time, but it was not followed by a public performance. The original manuscript, which is somewhat incomplete in detail, and edited by Paul Hawkshaw in 1997 in Band XX/1 of the , based on the dedicated , which had been retrieved in 1957 in a private collection in Vienna. During a concert on 25 June 2017 with the Missa solemnis, Łukasz Borowicz with the RIAS Kammerchor and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin performed also Bruckner’s Psalm 114. The later issued Accentus CD ACC 30429 of this concert did however not include this performance of Psalm 114. A recording of this performance of Psalm 114 is available in the Bruckner Archive.

Psalm 146 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

It is not known what occasion prompted Bruckner to compose this large-scale work or whether there was any performance in Bruckner’s lifetime. When it was written, for whom, and why it was allowed to languish unperformed are all unanswered questions. Its cantata-like structure … and stylistic affinity with the Missa solemnis place it in the late St. Florian years, though its enormous dimensions … are difficult to reconcile with the resources of the monastery. A sketch of the work is stored in the archive of Wels. An incomplete manuscript and a completed copy with annotations are stored in the archive of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. A critical edition was published by Paul Hawkshaw in 1996 in Band XX/4 of the . A second wave of performances occurred about twenty years later by Heinz Wallberg with the Niederösterreichiches Tonkünstler Orchester, the choir of the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien and the Kammerchor der Musikhochschule Wien, first in Vienna on 8, 10 and 11 November 1991 and on 13 November in Baden near Vienna. About three years later, the American premiere occurred on 13 January 1995 in the Alice Tully Hall by Leon Botstein with the American Symphony Orchestra and the Canticum Novum Singers. The American premiere used the score prepared by Hawkshaw for the Bruckner’s . Twenty years later, during the 25th Ebrach Summer Music Festival, a next performance by Gerd Schaller with the Philharmonie Festiva orchestra and the Philharmonic Choir of Munich occurred on 6 September 2015. Schaller’s live performance is put on CD by Profil Hänssler. During the Brucknertage 2023 in St. Florian, Psalm 146 was performed on 18 and 19 August by Rémy Ballot with the Altomonte Orchester and the St. Florianer Chorakademie. Celebrating Bruckner’s bicentennial 2024, Psalm 146 was performed on 7 June 2024 by Franz Anton Krager conducting the Texas Music Festival Orchestra & Chorus in the Moores Opera House Houston TX. Psalm 146 was also be performed by Christian Ciucă with the Summerchoir 2024 and organ accompaniment on 19 july 2024 in the Biserica Neagră of Brașov, and on 20 July 2024 in the Ateneul Român of Bucharest, Romania. Recordings of Wallberg’s, Botstein’s and Ciucă’s live performances are available in the Bruckner archive.

Psalm 150 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Richard Heuberger asked Bruckner for a festive hymn to celebrate the opening of the exposition on 7 May 1892, but Bruckner did not deliver the piece in time for Heuberger’s purpose. The work was premiered in the Musikvereinsaal in Vienna on 13 November 1892, with the and the soprano soloist Henriette Standthartner and Wilhelm Gericke conducting. The concert also included a Schubert overture and Liszt’s Piano Concerto in E-flat major, followed by Richard Strauss’ Wandrers Sturmlied and Mendelssohn’s Loreley. The manuscript, which was dedicated to Wilhelm Ritter von Hartel, is stored in the archive of the Austrian National Library. It was first issued in November 1892 with another dedication to , by , as well as a vocal and piano reduction score by Cyrill Hynais. The work is issued by in volume XX/6 of the .

Psalm 22 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Amongst the five psalm settings composed by Bruckner, Psalm 22 is the only one with piano accompaniment. The work was composed in circa 1852 in St. Florian, but it is unknown when it was performed at that time. The manuscript is stored in the archive of the St. Florian monastery. The first known performance occurred on 11 October 1921 in St. Florian by Franz Xaver Müller. It was first published in Band II/2, pp. 119–130 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. It was edited by Paul Hawkshaw in 1997 in Band XX/2 of the .

Requiem (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The Requiem in D minor, a setting of the Missa pro defunctis for mixed choir, vocal soloists, three trombones, one horn, strings and organ with figured bass, was composed by Bruckner in memory of Franz Sailer, the notary of the St. Florian Monastery, who bequeathed Bruckner a Bösendorfer piano. The Requiem was premiered on 15 September 1849 in the St. Florian Monastery, a year after Sailer’s death. A second performance occurred on 11 December 1849 in the Abbey of Kremsmünster. The manuscript is archived in the St. Florian Monastery. In 1892, Bruckner revised the score and gave it to Franz Bayer. Bayer performed it on 4 December 1895 in Steyr for the funerals of parish priest Johann Evangelist Aichinger. The Österreichische Nationalbibliothek acquired the revised score from Bayer’s widow in 1923.

Rondo in C minor (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

During his stay in Linz, Bruckner composed his String Quartet in 1862 as a student exercise assigned by his form and orchestration teacher, Otto Kitzler. On reviewing Bruckner’s work, Kitzler was perhaps dissatisfied with Bruckner’s unconventionality of the first rondo. He therefore suggested that a new rondo in a more traditional rondo-sonata form would have benefited the piece. Bruckner responded by creating this new large rondo form, creating a new work significantly different in musical content from the original as well as noticeably longer, with a performance time of approximately five minutes. This second Rondo, which has the same key, metre, and formal structure as the first Rondo, can be regarded as an alternative to the first Rondo. The autograph date on the work is 15 August 1862. The Rondo in C minor was part of the , a collection of autographs and sketches created during Bruckner’s studies with Kitzler. As with the other works Bruckner composed during Kitzler’s tuition, the Quartet and the additional Rondo were not performed or issued during Bruckner’s life. Bruckner did not intend for the Quartet to be publicly performed with either rondo, or for the Rondo in C minor to be performed independently, as he saw these compositions only as technical studies for the purposes of practicing form. Since the work was not known at the time of Renate Grasberger’s thematic catalogue of Bruckner’s music, (WAB), it was initially referred to as “WAB deest” and later as WAB 208 by the Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Leopold Nowak, the musicologist known for editing the works of Bruckner, was permitted to access the Kitzler-Studienbuch, which was in private possession, and to transcribe the Rondo in C minor. The Rondo was premiered on 17 August 1984 in Vienna as part of a celebration of his eightieth birthday. in Band XII of Bruckner’s .

Salvum fac populum tuum, WAB 40

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The motet, based on a few verses of the Te Deum, was composed on 14 November 1884, presumably on request of Franz Xaver Witt for the Cecilian society. The manuscript is archived at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. The motet was first published in band IV/2, pp. 496–497 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. It is put in Band XXI/31 of the .

Music#

The 57-bar motet in F major for choir a cappella, is based on the verses “Salvum fac populum tuum” till “Quem ad modum speravimus in te.” of the Te Deum. This, a unique composition for Bruckner, which uses the same verses as part 4 of his Te Deum, alternates passages in unison, in Falsobordone and in polyphony.

Sängerbund, WAB 82

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the song on a text of an unknown author, possibly Heinrich von der Mattig, on 3 February 1882. He dedicated it to August Göllerich senior. With Buckner’s agreement, Karl Kerschbaum, the secretary of the Liedertafel Frohsinn, put another, more generalised text on the score to increase the chance of performances. The piece was first performed by Frohsinn in Wels during the fifth (feast of the singers associations from Upper Austria and Salzburg) on 10 June 1883. The song was a favourite of the Liedertafel Frohsinn, which performed it again in Passau in September 1890. As homage to their honorary chairman, Frohsinn performed the song on 4 September 1894 for celebrating Bruckner’s 70th birthday.

Ständchen, WAB 84.2

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this serenade, which he dedicated to Mrs. Schlager, the wife of the mayor of St. Florian, during the beginning of his stay in St. Florian. For the composition Bruckner used a text, which he had already used for the unfinished lied , WAB 84.1. It is not known when the piece was performed. The work, of which the original manuscript is stored in the archive of the Liedertafel Frohsinn,

Sternschnuppen, WAB 85

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the song on a text of Ernst Marinelli in . He dedicated it to his own men’s voice quartet, which was composed of Ludwig Ehrenecker, Franz Schäfler, Johann Nepomuk Hueber and himself. It is not known when the piece was first performed. The original manuscript is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey.

Text#

Sternschnuppen is using a text by Ernst Marinelli.

Music#

The 38-bar long work in F major is scored for SATB quartet. In the Göllerich/Auer biography the song is described as follows: (On the whole piece rests the softish romanticism of the at that time popular men’s choir-music).

String Quartet (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

In the spring of 1862, during his tuition by Otto Kitzler, Bruckner composed two scherzi for string quartet in F major and G minor. Thereafter, between 28 July and 7 August 1862, he composed the String Quartet in C minor, On reviewing Bruckner’s work one week later (15 August 1862), Kitzler was perhaps dissatisfied with Bruckner’s unconventionality of the first rondo. He therefore suggested that a rondo The 40-bars longer piece, which has the same key, metre and formal structure as the first rondo, can, therefore, be regarded as an alternative to the first rondo. The Quartet was not issued during Bruckner’s life, since it concerned only a sample of what he was capable of during his period of study with Kitzler. A recording from the archive of the NDR is available in the Bruckner Archive.

String Quintet (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner’s superior Joseph Hellmesberger Sr. requested Bruckner for a string quartet. Instead of a string quartet, Bruckner composed a viola quintet, starting the composition in December 1878 and ended it on 12 July 1879. Bruckner dedicated the Quintet to Duke Maximilian Emanuel in Bavaria. When looking at the score, Hellmesberger found the scherzo too challenging for the group to perform. In response, Bruckner wrote a less demanding, eight-minute long Intermezzo in the same key as alternative to the scherzo. The first three movements were premiered by the Winkler Quartet with Franz Schalk joining on second viola on November 17, 1881 in Vienna. It was not until 1885 that the Hellmesberger Quartet played the Quintet with the original scherzo,

Symphonic Prelude (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

After World War II, Heinrich Tschuppik discovered a 43-page long manuscript of an unknown overture-like symphonic movement in C-minor in the estate of his uncle, Rudolf Krzyzanowski. The manuscript carried the inscription Rudolf Krzyzanowski cop. 1876 on the first page, and on the last page in large blue letters von Anton Bruckner (by Anton Bruckner).

An unknown work by Anton Bruckner?#

Krzyzanowski was a pupil of Anton Bruckner, who, together with Gustav Mahler, prepared in 1877 the piano transcription of Bruckner’s Third Symphony. Tschuppik reported his finding in the Schweizerische Musikzeitung and in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, prepared a clean copy of the score and handwritten orchestral parts, and arranged also a four-stave particello of it. A copy of the manuscript was also made for storing in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. Tschuppik showed the piece to experts on Bruckner, Max Auer and Franz Gräflinger, and conductor Volkmar Andreae. Andreae agreed to perform this unknown Sinfonisches Präludium with the Vienna Philharmonic. However, the performance, which had been planned for 23 January 1949 did not take place, because Leopold Nowak, who was asked for expertise, had not been able to come to a final conclusion about the authorship. The premiere was performed later by the Munich Philharmonic under Fritz Rieger on 7 September 1949. Shortly afterwards Tschuppik died and his clean copy, handwritten orchestral parts, and a photocopy of the four stave particello remained stored in the archive of the Munich Philharmonic. The photocopy of the original manuscript (A-WnPhA2355) remained in Nowak’s possession and was returned to the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek after his death in May 1991. Nowak had not included the Symphonisches Präludium in Bruckner’s because he still doubted its authorship.

Symphonies by Anton Bruckner

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Symphony in D minor (1863)#

Before finalising his Symphony in F minor, Bruckner had made on 7 January 1863 sketches for a Symphony in D minor, WAB add 244 (Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek – Mus.Hs.44706, pages 311-314 & 319-321). Ricardo Luna orchestrated the twenty retrieved fragments.

Symphony in F minor#

Otto Kitzler, Bruckner’s last composition teacher, set him three final tasks as the climax of his studies: a choral work (Psalm 112), an overture (the Overture in G minor), and a symphony. The Symphony in F minor was completed in 1863. Bruckner later rejected this work, but he did not destroy it. While it certainly reminds one of earlier composers such as Robert Schumann, it also bears the hallmarks of the later Bruckner style. Kitzler simply commented that the work was “not very inspired”. It was first performed in 1924 and not published in its entirety until 1973. It is occasionally listed as “Symphony No. 00”.

Symphony in D minor (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Composition#

Bruckner composed this symphony from 24 January to 12 September 1869. It was initially designated Symphony No. 2, while the C minor symphony of 1872 was called Symphony No. 3. According to the conductor Georg Tintner, “How an off-hand remark, when directed at a person lacking any self-confidence, can have such catastrophic consequences! Bruckner, who all his life thought that able musicians (especially those in authority) knew better than he did, was devastated when Otto Dessoff (then the conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic) asked him about the first movement: “But where is the main theme?” In 1895, when Bruckner reviewed his symphonies in order to have them published, he declared that this symphony “does not count” (”"). He wrote on the front page "" (“nullified”) and replaced the original “Nr. 2” with the symbol “∅”. The symbol “∅” was later interpreted as the numeral zero and the symphony got the nickname (“No. 0”). In the words of David Griegel, “Like many other composers, I believe Bruckner was merely being too self-critical, and the unnumbered symphonies are also works worthy of our enjoyment”. Because of the designation Die Nullte, the biographers Göllerich and Auer felt it was composed before Symphony No. 1. Contrary to this assumption, the autograph score is dated 24 January to 12 September 1869, and no earlier sketch or single folio of this work has been retrieved. The work, which is sometimes referred to as “Symphony in D minor, opus posthumous”, but in English is most often called “Symphony No. 0”, premiered in Klosterneuburg on 12 October 1924.

Symphony in F minor (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Instrumentation#

The work is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in B, two bassoons, four horns (two in F, two in B), two trumpets in F, alto, tenor and bass trombones, timpani and strings.

Movements#

There are four movements:

Criticism#

Biographer Derek Watson says that compared to the Overture in G minor, the F minor Symphony “is certainly thematically uninspired and less characterful,” but that it does have “some moments of warm melodiousness and consistently fine if unoriginal scoring.” Also, the score is quite lacking in dynamics and phrasing marks compared to Bruckner’s later works. As Leopold Nowak also writes: Much about the work betrays the style of the times, but Bruckner’s own mode of expression can already be recognized in a number of other traits. The composer’s teacher Otto Kitzler wrote the work off as “not particularly inspired”, which was why Bruckner laid it aside. Fortunately, however, he did not destroy it when later screening his manuscripts. Kitzler’s criticism, which led Bruckner to label the symphony “Schularbeit” (schoolwork), Tintner considers the Finale of the work to be the weakest of the four movements. In the words of David Griegel, “Like many other composers, I believe Bruckner was merely being too self-critical, and the unnumbered symphonies are also works worthy of our enjoyment”.

Symphony No. 1 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Structure#

The symphony has four movements: The choices of key for the first two movements mirror Beethoven’s for his Fifth Symphony, but Bruckner has the timpani retune to A and E.

Early Adagio and Scherzo#

Before completing the symphony in April 1866, Bruckner composed other forms of the Adagio and the Scherzo. The Adagio was first conceived in classical sonata form, with development, not the ternary structure with elaborate middle section. The exposition and the recapitulation are similar to that of the Linz version. In the beginning of its central section a third Schumanesque motif is introduced, which will be partially re-used as accompaniment of the oboe solo of the middle section of the Linz version. This early version of the Adagio (manuscript Mus.Hs.40400) was partially orchestrated, without trumpets or trombones. The recapitulation of the first motif is played by the strings and decorated by the winds. The recapitulation of the second subject, which was sketched only by the second violins and the woodwinds, breaks off at bar 154. Thereafter, five bars were left unwritten before the – on the contrary – fully orchestrated close of the movement. The originally conceived Scherzo was not fully orchestrated either, lacking trumpets and trombones, but its Trio was carried over unchanged in 1866. This early Scherzo (manuscript Mus.Hs.6019) is very short and quite distant in character from what Bruckner eventually used in the Linz version. In the leaflet for his recording of the symphony, Tintner writes that “the earlier very short Scherzo, which Bruckner discarded before 1866 (because of its brevity?), with chromatic syncopation, is perhaps more interesting than the final one .” A recording of these early (incomplete) Adagio and Scherzo by Osmo Vänskä is available in the Bruckner Archive and Bruckner Society CD BSVD-216. In 1995 Wolfgang Grandjean edited the earlier Adagio and Scherzo as a study score (I/1a-STP). In his transcription for chamber orchestra, Ricardo Luna completed the five missing bars of the recapitulation of the Adagio by using the corresponding material of the Linz version. Because the music of the preceding seven incomplete bars (with only melodic elements) is not identical to that of the Linz version, he had to make some adjustments to arrange the rhythms where they were not given in the accompanying voices. An electronic recreation of the early Adagio and Scherzo by Joan Schukking can be heard and downloaded at John Berky’s website.

Symphony No. 2 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

In the fall of 1871, after having become established in Vienna, Anton Bruckner embarked on a new symphonic project, his fourth, which in less than a year would result in a completed and copied score of nearly 2000 bars. The Symphony No. 2, which was mostly written in the summer of 1872, represents a breakthrough in Bruckner’s conception of the symphony. Although Bruckner had been composing sonata-form movements with three distinct themes since he began writing symphonies in 1862, in 1872 he greatly expanded the scope of their presentation and development, and established the framework, which he would use consistently in all of his subsequent symphonic work. Moreover, the Adagio of this symphony is in ABA′B′A″ Lied form followed by a coda – the framework which Bruckner would use in his subsequent symphonic work, with exception of the Sixth. The Second Symphony is the only numbered Bruckner symphony without a dedication; Franz Liszt tacitly rejected the dedication, and Richard Wagner chose the Symphony No. 3 in D minor when offered both works. The symphony was planned to be performed in the same year by the Vienna Philharmonic under Otto Dessoff. However, the rehearsal did not lead to a performance, because Dessoff and a number of players considered it impossible to perform. Nevertheless, the symphony was premiered the following year, on 26 October 1873, by the Vienna Philharmonic with Bruckner himself on the podium.

Symphony No. 3 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner wrote the first version of the symphony in 1873. In September 1873, before the work was finished, Bruckner visited Richard Wagner, whom he had first met in 1865 at the premiere of Tristan und Isolde in Munich. Bruckner showed both his Second and Third symphonies to Wagner, asking him to pick one he preferred. To Bruckner’s delight, Wagner chose the Third, and Bruckner dedicated the symphony to the master he highly respected. After arriving home, Bruckner continued to work on the symphony, finishing the finale on 31 December 1873. According to an anecdote, Bruckner and Wagner drank so much beer together that, upon arriving home, Bruckner realized he had forgotten which symphony Wagner had chosen. He wrote a letter back to Wagner saying “Symphony in D minor, where the trumpet begins the theme?” Wagner scribbled back “Yes! Best wishes! Richard Wagner.” After this, Wagner often referred to Bruckner as “Bruckner the trumpet” and the two became firm friends. In the dedication, Bruckner referred to Wagner as “the unreachable world-famous noble master of poetry and music”. The 1873 version was rehearsed by the Vienna Philharmonic in June or July 1874, but it was not accepted for performance. The premiere of the Symphony (1877 version) was given in Vienna on 16 December 1877. The conductor was meant to be Johann von Herbeck, though his death a month before the concert forced Bruckner himself to step in and conduct. The concert was a complete disaster: although a decent choral conductor, Bruckner was a barely competent orchestral director: the Viennese audience, which was not sympathetic to his work to begin with, gradually left the hall as the music played. Even the orchestra fled at the end, leaving Bruckner alone with a few supporters, including Gustav Mahler. (The score of the first three movements was later owned by Mahler; his widow Alma Mahler ensured she took it with her when fleeing the Nazi invasion of France in 1940 for the United States.) Stunned by this debacle, Bruckner made several revisions of his work, leaving out significant amounts of music including most quotations from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and Die Walküre. The original 1873 score was not published until 1977.

Symphony No. 4 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description#

The symphony has four movements. Bruckner revised the symphony multiple times and it exists in three major versions. The initial version of 1874 differs in several respects from the other two, most importantly the entirely separate scherzo movement: Here are the tempo markings in the 1880 version: The 1888 version edited by in the Gesamtausgabe (Band IV Teil 3) has different tempo and metronome markings:

First movement#

The movement opens, like many other Bruckner symphonies, with tremolo strings. A horn call opens the first theme group: : \new PianoStaff 1 \ppp :16 % 2 1 :16 % 3 1 :16 % 4 1 :16 % 5 1 :16 % 6 1 :16 % 7 1 :16 % 8 1 :16 % 9 1 :16 % 10 1 :16 » This leads into the second theme of the first group, an insistent statement of the Bruckner rhythm: : \new PianoStaff 4 \times 2/3 4 4 4 % 3 1 -> % 4 es4 4 \times 2/3 4 4 4 % 5 1 -> \new Staff \relative es \set Staff.midiInstrument = #“piano” \key es \major \clef bass \time 2/2 4 \ff 4 \times 2/3 4 4 4 % 2 4 r4 r2 % 3 4 4 \times 2/3 4 4 4 % 4 4 r4 r2 % 5 R1 » Like all Bruckner symphonies, the exposition contains three theme groups. The second group, called the “Gesangsperiode” by Bruckner, is in D major: : \new PianoStaff > \new Staff > » The third theme group differs between versions; in the 1874 original it opens with a variation on the opening horn call: : \new PianoStaff 1 \ff _\markup \italic marcato % 2 2… 16 % 3 2 r2 % 4 R1 » In the 1878 version and later it opens with a variation of the Bruckner rhythm theme from the first group: : \new PianoStaff 4 \ff _\markup \italic marcato 4 \times 2/3 4 4 4 % 2 2. d'4 % 3 f2 f,2 ~ % 4 f4 > ~ f8 ! \p r8 r2 » The expansive development features a brass chorale based on the opening horn call: : \relative c’ \new PianoStaff 1 \ff _^ 2… ^^ 16 1 _^ 2… _^ 16 1 _^ 2… ^^ 16 \set doubleSlurs = ##t 1 ^( ~ 1 ) \new Staff \set Staff.midiInstrument = #“brass section” \key es \major \clef bass \time 2/2 1 \ff ^^ 2… ^^ 16 1 ^^ R1 1 ^^ 2… ^^ 16 1 ~ 1 » There exists much evidence that Bruckner had a program in mind for the Fourth Symphony. In a letter to conductor Hermann Levi of 8 December 1884, Bruckner wrote: “In the first movement after a full night’s sleep the day is announced by the horn, 2nd movement song, 3rd movement hunting trio, musical entertainment of the hunters in the wood.” There is a similar passage in a letter from the composer to Paul Heyse of 22 December 1890: “In the first movement of the ‘Romantic’ Fourth Symphony the intention is to depict the horn that proclaims the day from the town hall! Then life goes on; in the Gesangsperiode the second subject the theme is the song of the great tit Zizipe. 2nd movement: song, prayer, serenade. 3rd: hunt and in the Trio how a barrel-organ plays during the midday meal in the forest. In addition to these clues that come directly from Bruckner, the musicologist Theodor Helm communicated a more detailed account reported via the composer’s associate Bernhard Deubler: “Mediaeval city—Daybreak—Morning calls sound from the city towers—the gates open—On proud horses the knights burst out into the open, the magic of nature envelops them—forest murmurs—bird song—and so the Romantic picture develops further…”

Symphony No. 5 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

First performances#

The Fifth was first performed in public on two pianos by Joseph Schalk and Franz Zottmann on 20 April 1887 in the Bösendorfersaal in Vienna. The first orchestral performance – in the inauthentic “Schalk version”, with a changed orchestration in Wagnerian fashion and omitting 122 bars of the finale – was conducted by Franz Schalk in Graz on 8 April 1894. Bruckner, who died two years later, was sick and unable to attend. He never heard this symphony performed by an orchestra.

Symphony No. 6 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Historical context#

By the time Bruckner began composing his Symphony No. 6, only three of his symphonies had been performed. The recent premiere of his Third Symphony had been nothing short of disastrous, receiving an extremely negative, though not surprising review from Eduard Hanslick, given Hanslick’s predilection for the works of Brahms. …his artistic intentions are honest, however oddly he employs them. Instead of a critique, therefore, we would rather simply confess that we have not understood his gigantic symphony. Neither were his poetic intentions clear to us…nor could we grasp the purely musical coherence. The composer…was greeted with cheering and was consoled with lively applause at the close by a fraction of the audience that stayed to the end…the Finale, which exceeded all its predecessors in oddities, was only experienced to the last extreme by a little host of hardy adventurers.

Symphony No. 7 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description#

The symphony has four movements:

First movement#

The first movement starts with tremolo strings and the cellos presenting “a complete, divinely given melodic whole:” Bruckner declared he heard it in a dream, played on a viola, and wrote it down on awakening, but the tune incorporates a quotation from the Credo of his D minor Mass (1864) which he was currently revising. The main theme is restated before the second theme group appears, with the oboes and clarinets carrying the first theme: The third theme group is based on octaves, as is typical in Bruckner: The development features many of the themes in inversion. Near the end of the movement, there is a long pedal point on E, sustained by the double basses and timpani.

Symphony No. 8 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Composition and publication#

Bruckner began work on the Eighth Symphony in July 1884. Working mainly during the summer vacations from his duties at the University of Vienna and the Vienna Conservatory, the composer had all four movements completed in draft form by August 1885. He had also arranged for Bruckner’s career to be supported in other ways, including financial assistance from the nobility, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Vienna. I find it impossible to perform the Eighth in its current form. I just can’t make it my own! As much as the themes are magnificent and direct, their working-out seems to me dubious; indeed, I consider the orchestration quite impossible… Don’t lose your courage, take another look at your work, talk it over with your friends, with Schalk, maybe a reworking can achieve something. By January 1888, Bruckner had come to agree with Levi that the symphony would benefit from further work. Early work of revision was carried out in the first movement and the Scherzo, expressed as pencil notations in their score. A distinct version of the Adagio – now called the “intermediate Adagio” or “Adagio of 1888” – was also retrieved and edited in 2004 by Dermot Gault and Takanobu Kawasaki. Thereafter, Bruckner concentrated on the new versions of the Fourth and Third. The emperor accepted Bruckner’s request and also offered to help pay for the work’s publication. Bruckner had some trouble finding a publisher for the work, but in late 1890 the Haslinger-Schlesinger-Lienau company agreed to undertake publication. Bruckner’s associates Josef Schalk and Max von Oberleithner assisted with the publication process: Schalk prepared the musical text to be sent to the printer while Oberleithner corrected the proofs and also provided financial support. The symphony was eventually published in March 1892. It was the only one of Bruckner’s symphonies to be published before its first performance.

Symphony No. 9 (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dedication#

Bruckner is said to have dedicated his Ninth Symphony to “the beloved God”. August Göllerich and Max Auer, in their biography of Bruckner, Ein Lebens- und Schaffensbild, claim he expressed to his doctor, Richard Heller, this dedication of his work saying: You see, I have already dedicated two earthly majesty symphonies to poor King Ludwig as the royal patron of the arts VII. Symphony, note d. Ed. To our illustrious, dear Emperor as the highest earthly majesty, whom I acknowledge VIII. Symphony, note d. Ed. And now I dedicate my last work to the majesty of all the majesties, the beloved God, and hope that he will give me so much time to complete the same.

Tantum ergo, WAB 32

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the motet in the fall of 1845 at the end of his stay in Kronstorf or at the beginning of his stay in St. Florian Abbey. The original manuscript, which was dedicated to the St. Florian Abbey, is stored in the archive of the abbey. A copy made by Bruckner’s student Oddo Loidol is stored in the archive of the Kremsmünster Monastery. The motet was first published without the “facultative” bars as Pange lingua by Wöss, Universal Edition, together with the Vexilla regis in 1914 – the reason why Grasberger put is as WAB 32 after the Pange lingua, WAB 31. The full version is put in Band XXI/7 of the .

Tantum ergo, WAB 42

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this motet on 9 June 1846 during his stay in St. Florian Abbey. The autograph voice score, without the organ score, is present in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. In 1888, Bruckner revised this setting, together with the revision of previous four Tantum ergo. The revised version of the five Tantum ergo was published first by Johann Groß, Innsbruck in 1893. The 1846 and 1888 versions are put in Band XXI/13 and 38 of the respectively.

Tantum ergo, WAB 43

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the motet in the fall of 1845 at the end of his stay in Kronstorf or in 1846 at the beginning of his stay in St. Florian Abbey. The original manuscript, on which the Chorale Dir, Herr, dir will ich mich ergeben is also found, is stored in the archive of the abbey. Two copies of the manuscript are also stored in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. The motet was first published in band II/2, pp. 116–118 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. The full version is put in Band XXI/8 of the .

Tantum ergo, WAB 44

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the motet in during his stay in St. Florian Abbey. The original manuscript is lost. An autograph voice score is stored in the archive of the abbey. The motet was first published in band II/2, pp. 256–258 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Music#

The work of 29 bars in B-flat major, as edited in the current Gesamtausgabe, with “reconstructed parts " of viola, cello and contrabass, and adding of timpani has been premiered by Łukasz Borowicz with the RIAS Kammerchor and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.

Te Deum (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner started work on his Te Deum from 3 to 17 May 1881, when he was finalising his Symphony No. 6. After finishing his next Symphony No. 7, The composer dedicated the piece A.M.D.G. The Te Deum was premiered in the Kleiner Musikvereinssaal in Vienna on 2 May 1885, with soloists Frau Ulrich-Linde, Emilie Zips, Richard Exleben, and Heinrich Gassner, with the choir of the Wiener Akademischer Richard Wagner Verein, and Robert Erben and Joseph Schalk substituting for the orchestra on two pianos. The last performance, which Bruckner attended, was conducted by at the suggestion of Johannes Brahms. On his copy of the score, Gustav Mahler crossed out "" (for choir, solos and orchestra, organ ad libitum) and wrote "" (for the tongues of angels, seekers of God, chastened hearts, and souls purified in the fire!). The first performance in the United States occurred at the Cincinnati May Festival on 26 May 1892. Theodore Thomas conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati May Festival Chorus and the soloists Corinne Moore-Lawson, Marie Ritter-Goetze, Edward Lloyd and George Ellsworth Holmes. The draft version of 1881 and the first sketch of 1883 are stored in the archive of the Kremsmünster Abbey. The voice and orchestral score, and the ad lib. organ score of 1884 are stored in the archive of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.

Tota pulchra es (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The work, which was composed on 30 March 1878 between symphonies 5 and 6, is scoring the Latin antiphon Tota pulchra es. It was performed on 4 June 1878 in the Votive Chapel of the new cathedral of the Immaculate Conception The manuscript is archived at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. The (dedicated copy) is stored in the archive of the new cathedral. The motet was edited, together with the Ave Maria WAB 6, by Emil Wetzler, Vienna in 1887.

Träumen und Wachen, WAB 87

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the song on 15 December 1890. The text is from the end of Act I of Franz Grillparzer’s drama . The piece was performed under Bruckner’s baton at the , to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Grillpatzer’s birth (15 January 1891) by the (Academic singers association of Vienna) with Franz Schaumann (tenor) in the ballroom of the university of Vienna. Bruckner dedicated the composition to his housemate Wilhelm Ritter von Hartel, the rector of the university of Vienna. Bruckner revised the composition slightly on 4 February 1892.

Trauungschor, WAB 49

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the setting for the wedding ceremony of his friend Karl Kerschbaum, chairman of the Liedertafel Frohsinn, with Maria Schimatschek, a concert singer and daughter of Franz Schimatschek. The sacred piece was performed by Frohsinn, with Bruckner at the organ, on 5 February 1865 during the celebration of the wedding in the Linzer Stadtpfarrkirche (Linz Parish Church). The original manuscript is stored in the Frohsinn-archive of the Linzer Singakademie. After this single performance the music fell into oblivion. It was first published in band III/2, pp. 219–224 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Two Aequali (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the two Aequali in end January 1847 during his stay in St. Florian Abbey. He composed them for the funeral of his aunt Rosalia Mayrhofer (1770–1847). The manuscript of the first Aequale (WAB 114) is stored in the archive of the Seitenstetten Abbey. The work was first published in band II/2, p. 83 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. In the sketch the part of the bass trombone is missing. It was then put as addendum (WAB 149) to the already issued WAB classification.

Two Asperges me, WAB 3

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

In 1844/1845, Bruckner composed these two settings of Aperges me during his stay in Kronstorf. They were presumably performed at that time. The manuscripts are stored in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.

Music#

During his stay in Kronstorf Bruckner, composed these two settings of the Asperges me for mixed choir and organ (1844/1845). As for the former Asperges me, the incipit (“Asperges me”) is not composed and has to be intoned by the priest in Gregorian mode before the choir is going on. It is the first composition, at the end of which Bruckner has put his signature.

Two Totenlieder (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed these two motets in 1852 for the funeral of his friend Josef Seiberl. The original manuscript is in the of Wels and a transcription is in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. The two Totenlieder were first published in band II/2, pp. 141–144 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Music#

The works are scored for SATB choir a cappella. The first setting in E-flat major is 10-bar long. The second setting in F major is 19-bar long.

Um Mitternacht, WAB 89

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the song on a text of Robert Prutz on 12 April 1864, for the Linz Liedertafel Sängerbund (the rival of Liedertafel Frohsinn). The piece was performed on 11 December 1864 by Sängerbund in the Redoutensaal under Bruckner’s baton. The work, of which the original manuscript is stored in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, was first issued by Viktor Keldorfer (Universal Edition) in 1911, together with the other setting (Um Mitternacht, WAB 90) and the other “midnight-song” Mitternacht, WAB 80. It is issued in Band XXIII/2, No. 17 of the .

Um Mitternacht, WAB 90

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the song on a text of Robert Prutz on 11 February 1886, for the (Men’s singing association of Strasbourg). The piece was performed on 15 April 1886 by the Liedertafel Frohsinn in the . Because of performance difficulties (humming voices and many modulations), the choir was enhanced by a harp. The work, of which the original manuscript is stored in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, was issued in the same year by the Strassburger Sängerhaus, and thereafter (1911) by Viktor Keldorfer (Universal Edition), together with the other setting (Um Mitternacht, WAB 89) and the other “midnight-song” Mitternacht, WAB 80.

Vaterländisch Weinlied, WAB 91

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this work, together with Vaterlandslied, on a six-strophe text of August Silberstein in November 1866 during his stay in Linz on request of Anton M. Storch. The song was performed by the Liedertafel Frohsinn on 13 February 1868 under Bruckner’s baton. The work, of which the original manuscript is lost, was first issued in the by Emil Berté in 1892. Thereafter (September 1894), it was issued with another text by Bibamus as (A wine legend) in the Neues Wiener Journal.

Vaterlandslied, WAB 92

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed this song on a text of August Silberstein in November 1866, during his stay in Linz. He composed it together with the Vaterländisch Weinlied on request of Anton M. Storch. Bruckner dedicated the work to the (Singers’ association of Lower Austria). The work was performed by the Liedertafel Frohsinn on 4 April 1868 in the Redoutensaal of Linz. The work, of which the original manuscript is lost, was first issued by Doblinger, Vienna in 1902, together with Der Abendhimmel, WAB 56. It is issued in Band XXIII/2, No. 20 of the . The quite large-scaled work (13 pages in the ) is considered one of the best works for men’s choir of the Linz period. The song, which remained in the repertoire of Frohsinn, was also performed at the Bruckner-Feier of 1924.

Veni Creator Spiritus, WAB 50

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The motet was composed in . Bruckner’s manuscript is stored in the Schlägl Abbey, where it was retrieved in 1931. The motet was first published in band IV/1, p. 524 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. It is put in Band XXI/36 of the .

Music#

The motet is a harmonisation of the Gregorian hymn Veni Creator Spiritus for voice(s) and organ.

Discography#

There is a single recording of Bruckner’s Veni Creator Spiritus: * Jonathan Brown, Ealing Abbey Choir, Anton Bruckner: Sacred Motets – CD: Herald HAVPCD 213, 1997 (transcription for male voice choir a cappella)

Vergißmeinnicht, WAB 93

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

When he stayed in Kronstorf, Bruckner composed in 1845 the first version of this cantata as (Musical essay in chamber style), which he signed as (candidate) for his (teacher aggregation). Bruckner’s examination, which was held in Linz on 27 and 28 May 1845, was successful. A slightly modified, The manuscripts of the first and second versions are stored at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. The manuscript of the third version is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. A facsimile of the third version was first issued in band I, pp. 286–300 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Versions and editions of Bruckner's symphonies

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Synopsis#

According to the Anton Bruckner’s Gesamtausgabe. Duration depends on the concerned version. 1 variants of the 1872 version reconstituted by Carragan, 2 variant of the 1877 version, 3 “mixed version” 1872-1877, 4 refined variant of the 1873 version, 5 Adagio edited by Nowak, other movements reconstituted by Carragan, 6 Scherzo with coda, 7 version with the new “Hunting” Scherzo and the “Volksfest Finale”, 8 1878 version with a new Finale, unpublished, revised in 1881 and 1886, 9 slight revision, unpublished, 10 version revised by Franz Schalk, 11 edition revised by Joseph Schalk, 12 Adagio edited by Gault and Kawasaki 2003 , other movements by Carragan, 13 version revised by Joseph Schalk, 14 “mixed version” 1887-1890 , 15 version revised by Ferdinand Löwe.

Early published editions#

The first editions of Bruckner’s works published by Theodor Rättig, Albert Gutmann, Haslinger-Schlesinger-Lienau and Ludwig Doblinger during and slightly after Bruckner’s lifetime tended to “incorporate orchestral retouching, alterations in phrasing, articulation, and dynamics, and added tempo and expression markings,” and on occasion were cut. These changes were made by Bruckner’s friends and associates, and it is not always possible to tell whether the emendations had Bruckner’s direct authorization. These were the versions that were used for nearly all performances until the 1930s. Cooke judges all these publications as “spurious” because they “did not represent Bruckner’s own intentions”, while Korstvedt classifies them into three categories: * Not authentic: versions that “contain extensive modifications and additions made without Bruckner’s approval, participation, or knowledge”. * Grey area: publications that “differ in some ways from the readings of Bruckner’s last manuscript scores and certain contain some external editorial emendations … yet they were published with Bruckner’s apparent approval.” “More study is needed” into these texts. Korstvedt argues that it was not uncommon for differences to exist between the autograph manuscripts and the first publications of musical works in the late 19th century, and that while the discrepancies in Bruckner’s case are “unusually pronounced” they are not “essentially aberrant.” He points to the example of Verdi’s Falstaff, whose musical text contains substantial contributions from the leader of the orchestra of La Scala which were apparently welcomed by the composer.

Vexilla regis (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed it on 9 February 1892. The work, the manuscript of which is archived at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, is based on the Latin hymn Vexilla Regis by Venantius Fortunatus. In his letter of 7 March 1892 to Bernhard Deubler, Bruckner wrote that he had composed this work “according to a pure impulse of the heart”. The work was first performed on Good Friday, 15 April 1892, and was published in the same year by Josef Weinberger, ViennaIn the Album der Wiener Meister. A Reminder of the International Exhibition of Music and Theatre.

Virga Jesse (Bruckner)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The work was completed on 3 September 1885 and may have been intended for the celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of the Linz diocese; however, like the Ecce sacerdos magnus that Bruckner composed A.M.D.G. for that event, it was not performed there. It was performed on 8 December 1885 in the Wiener Hofmusikkapelle for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The motet was edited together with three other graduals (Locus iste WAB 23, Christus factus est WAB 11, and WAB 30), by Theodor Rättig, Vienna in 1886.

Volkslied, WAB 94

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

On 16 October 1881, the Deutsche Zeitung invited submissions for a text (for a singable national hymn). From 1,750 texts entered, Josef Winter’s was awarded the first prize. On 1 January 1882 a second invitation appeared for a (Hymn for the German People in Austria), for men’s choir as well as for voice and piano. Bruckner, as one of the 1,320 participants, sent a sample of both settings. No prize was awarded for any of the submissions. The manuscripts are stored in the archive of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek and the Bibliothèque nationale de Paris.

Vor Arneths Grab, WAB 53

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the elegy Vor Arneths Grab, WAB 53, for the funeral of Michael Arneth, the prior of the St. Florian Abbey. The work, which was written together with the Libera me, WAB 22, was performed on 28 March 1854 at the cemetery of the abbey. The elegy was performed a second time for the funeral of Magistrate Wilhelm Schiedermayr on 23 September 1855. Am Grabe is a revised a cappella setting of the elegy, was performed on the funeral of Josephine Hafferl.

Wie bist du, Frühling, gut und treu, WAB 58

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the lied on five strophes of Oskar von Redwitz’ . He dedicated the work to Friedrich Mayer, prelate of the St. Florian Abbey. Two original manuscripts are stored in the and by the editor Anton Böhn & Sohn in Augsburg. The lied was first published in 1902 by Max Marschalk in Die Musik, Band 1, No. 17. In 1930, a facsimile of it was published in Band III/2, pp. 184–188 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.

Windhaager Messe

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the Windhaager Messe (WAB 25) in 1842, while he was a schoolteacher’s assistant in Windhaag. It was first believed that it was composed for Maria Jobst, the alto soloist in the Windhaag church choir. It is now stated that it was composed for her younger sister, Anna. The work, the manuscript of which is stored in the archive of Wels, was first published in band I, pp. 173–189 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. It is edited in Band XXI/2 of the .

Zur Vermählungsfeier, WAB 54

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Bruckner composed the setting for the wedding ceremony of his landlord Anton Ölzelt Ritter von Newin with Amalie Edler von Wieser. The piece was intended to be performed during the ceremony in the church of the Klosterneuburg Abbey. However, the ceremony did not occur, because the groom was a Protestant. The original manuscript is stored in the archive of the in Vienna. It was first published in the yearbook of the Klosterneuburg Abbey (Vienna & Leipzig) in 1910. It has been re-edited by Wöss in 1921 together with the Ave Regina caelorum, WAB 8. It is not known when the piece was performed first. A performance by the Hilliard Ensemble occurred on 15 September 1993 during the 20th Brucknerfest.