Anton Bruckner

Symphony No. 4 (Bruckner)

Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 4 in E major, WAB 104, is one of the composer's most popular works. It was written in 1874 and revised several times through 1888. It was dedicated to Prince Konstantin

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…”

Second movement#

This movement, in C minor, begins with a melody on the cellos: : \new PianoStaff g4 % 7 ges4 ) r2 ! r4 » The accompaniment is significantly different in the original 1874 version. This movement, like most Bruckner slow movements, is in five-part ternary form (A–B–A–B–A–Coda). The second part (B) is slower than the first: : \new PianoStaff 8 \p ^“pizz.” r8 c8 r8 8 r8 8 r8 % 2 8 r8 8 es'8 8 r8 r4 % 3 8 \ 8 r8 8 ! r8 8 r8 % 4 8 > r8 8 c'8 8 r8 ! r4 \new Staff \relative g’ \set Staff.midiInstrument = #“string ensemble 1” \key c \minor \clef treble \time 4/4 r4 \p g2 ( f8 es8 % 2 d4 es8 f8 g8 fis8 g8 a8 % 3 bes2 a4 bes8 a8 % 4 g4 > a8. \trill g32 a32 bes4 ) r4 ! »

Third movement#

Bruckner completely recomposed the Scherzo movement after his first version.

First version (1874)#

This so-called “Alphorn Scherzo” is based mostly on a horn call that opens the movement: : \new PianoStaff % 3 \times 3/2 es4 -> f4 -> % 4 bes,2. ~ -> % 5 bes4 r4 r8. f'16 % 6 f2. \ % 7 \times 3/2 ges4 -> es4 ! > -> % 8 f2. ~ -> % 9 f4 ! r2 » This is followed by tremolo string figures and a slightly different version of the horn call. Eventually a climax is reached with the horn call sounded loudly and backed by the full orchestra, leading to the Trio: : \new PianoStaff ~ % 4 \times 3/2 as4 ! c4 \ % 7 as2. ~ % 8 as4 ! r2 % 9 es2. »

Second version (1878)#

The autograph of the so-called “Hunting Scherzo” of the 1878 version of the symphony contains markings such as Jagdthema (hunting theme) and Tanzweise während der Mahlzeit auf der Jagd (dance tune during the lunch break while hunting). This is the more well known of the Scherzi. It opens with triadic hunting horn calls, that recalls the Military march, WAB 116: : \new PianoStaff 16 % 5 8 -. 8 -. \once \override TupletBracket #‘stencil = ##f \times 2/3 8 -. 8 -. 8 -. % 6 4 -. r8. 16 % 7 \once \override TupletBracket #‘stencil = ##f \times 2/3 8 -. 8 -. 8 -. 8 r16 16 % 8 \once \override TupletBracket #‘stencil = ##f \times 2/3 8 -. 8 -. 8 -. 8 r16 16 % 9 \once \override TupletBracket #‘stencil = ##f \times 2/3 8 -. 8 -. 8 -. \once \override TupletBracket #‘stencil = ##f \times 2/3 8 -. 8 -. 8 -. \once \override TupletBracket #‘stencil = ##f \times 2/3 8 -. 8 -. 8 -. \once \override TupletBracket #‘stencil = ##f \times 2/3 8 -. 8 -. 8 -. \new Staff \relative bes \set Staff.midiInstrument = #“piano” \key bes \major \clef treble \time 2/4 2 \pp :32 % 2 2 :32 % 3 2 :32 % 4 2 :32 % 5 2 :32 % 6 2 :32 % 7 2 :32 % 8 2 :32 % 9 2 :32 \barNumberCheck #10 2 :32 » The more melodic Trio follows: : \new PianoStaff >

Fourth movement#

This movement went through three major versions, but the third version of the Finale corresponds with the second major version of the symphony as a whole. There were further revisions for the 1888 version, but these amount to cuts and reorchestration; the underlying thematic material does not change after 1880. Much of the thematic material is shared between different versions, albeit with rhythmic simplification after 1874. The stark main theme, in E minor, is the same in all three versions: : \new PianoStaff >

First version (1874)#

This version begins with cascading string figures and a reappearance of the horn call that opened the symphony, albeit first appearing on the oboe. This builds to a climax and the main theme is stated by the full orchestra. Pizzicato strings introduce the second theme group, built on two themes. This group is very polyrhythmic, with heavy usage of quintuplets. The first theme: : \new PianoStaff ( g8 as8 g8 f8 g4 ! ) r4 % 3 e'4.. g,16 g4 \ ( g8 f8 e8 d8 c4 ! ) r4 \new Staff \relative g’ \set Staff.midiInstrument = #“piano” \key c \major \clef treble \time 2/2 g2 \p e'4.. ( g,16 ) % 2 \once \override TupletBracket #‘stencil = ##f \times 4/5 f'8 ( d8 b8 d8 f8 ) e4 r4 % 3 g,2 e'4.. ( g,16 ) % 4 \once \override TupletBracket #‘stencil = ##f \times 4/5 f'8 ( d8 b8 g8 b8 ) c4 r4 » This group has several bars of five notes against eight, beginning in the second theme: : \new PianoStaff > The third theme group is started by a descending B minor scale, which recalls Wotan’s Spear leitmotif, given by the whole orchestra: : \new PianoStaff > Towards the end, the horn call that opened the symphony returns, heralding the bright E major finish to the symphony.

Second version ‘Volksfest’ (1878)#

The second version of the movement, whose nickname, meaning ‘people’s festival’, comes from Bruckner’s autograph, is generally not played as part of the symphony as a whole. It is a simplified and shortened version of the finale. The movement’s opening and first theme group are generally the same as the first version. The second group shows substantial differences in rhythm, with the difficult quintuplets replaced by simpler rhythmic patterns (Bruckner rhythm “2 + 3” or “3 + 2”). The actual notes, leaving aside transpositions and differences in accompaniment and articulation, are unchanged. The first theme: : \new PianoStaff > The second theme: : \new PianoStaff > The third theme group is again headed off by a descending scale, with the rhythm simplified: : \new PianoStaff > Significant changes are made to the coda, bringing it closer to the third version.

Third version (1880)#

This version has the most substantial changes. The cascading string figures are changed, and the overall mood is much more somber than in previous versions. After the first theme group comes the modified second group. Here Bruckner has inserted a new theme that precedes the two themes seen in the previous versions: : \new PianoStaff > » Additionally, the third theme group has been recomposed: : \new PianoStaff > » In the coda, a quiet chorale is introduced at bar 489, and, before the peroration (at bar 517), an ascending scale – a quote of that before the third climax in part 5 of the Adagio of the Fifth Symphony. In the 1888 version, the recapitulation begins with the second theme group, skipping over the first entirely. There does not seem to be any clear hint of a program for this third version of the finale.

Versions#

Bruckner scholars recognise currently three versions of the Fourth Symphony: * Version I: 1874 * Version II: 1878-1880 * Version III: 1888 At least seven authentic versions and revisions of the Fourth Symphony have been identified. The Fourth Symphony underwent the most prolonged, the most intricate, compositional process of any of the symphonies. Bruckner’s work on it extended from 1874 until at least 1890. He recomposed much of the symphony during this process, entirely replacing the third movement and fundamentally reinventing the Finale. He prepared different versions for performance at least three times, and each time this led him to make changes, often substantial ones. And he finally saw the symphony through publication. Much of this story has either been unknown or significantly misunderstood, as have many of the larger issues raised by Bruckner’s versions more generally. For these reasons, the Fourth Symphony, as the most extreme case of the “Bruckner problem,” offers a uniquely advantageous platform from which to see key matters more critically and clearly than they have been previously. In an interview given to coincide with his performance of the work with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra at the 2024 BBC Proms, conductor Simon Rattle stated that he had found fourteen versions of the symphony. Rattle also made a cut before the finale, and composed his own four-bar transition to replace it.

Version I (1874)#

Bruckner’s original version of the symphony was composed between 2 January and 22 November 1874. The edition by Leopold Nowak in 1975, based on manuscript Mus.Hs.6082, includes some revisions from 1875 that Bruckner made in the autograph score. This version was never performed or published during the composer’s lifetime, though the Scherzo was played in Linz on 12 December 1909. The first complete performance was given in Linz more than a century after its composition on 20 September 1975 by the Munich Philharmonic conducted by Kurt Wöss. The first commercial recording was made in September 1982 by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony conducted by Eliahu Inbal (CD 2564 61371-2).

1876 variant#

In 1876 Bruckner made some additional, mainly metrical adjustments, that he introduced in a copy of the autograph score (manuscript Mus.Hs.6032), when he prepared the score for a planned performance – which ultimately fell through. The 1876 variant, that has been premiered in November 2020 by Jakub Hrůša with the Bamberger Symphoniker, has been issued by in 2021.

Version IIA (1878)#

When he had completed the original version of the symphony, Bruckner turned to the composition of his Fifth Symphony. When he had completed that piece he resumed work on the Fourth. Between 18 January and 30 September 1878 he thoroughly revised the first two movements and replaced the original finale with a new movement entitled Volksfest (“Popular Festival”). In December 1878 Bruckner replaced the original Scherzo with a completely new movement, which is sometimes called the “Hunt” Scherzo (Jagd-Scherzo). In a letter to the music critic Wilhelm Tappert (October 1878), Bruckner said that the new Scherzo “represents the hunt, whereas the Trio is a dance melody which is played to the hunters during their repast”. The original title of the Trio reads: Tanzweise während der Mahlzeit auf der Jagd (“Dance melody during the hunters’ meal”). The Volksfest finale was published as an appendix to Robert Haas’s edition of 1936, and in a separate edition by Leopold Nowak in 1981. The complete 1878 version of the symphony has been first issued by William Carragan in 2014 for a foreseen performance by Gerd Schaller. A critical edition of the 1878 version has been issued by Benjamin Korstvedt in 2022. In close contact with Korstvedt, MusicaNova Phoenix, Arizona, has performed a world premiere of the 1878 version of the Symphony on 1 May 2022.

Version IIB (1880)#

After the lapse of almost a year (during which he composed his String Quintet in F Major), Bruckner took up his Fourth Symphony once again. Between 19 November 1879 and 5 June 1880 he composed a new finale – the third, though it shares much of its thematic material with the first version – and discarded the Volksfest finale. This was the version performed at the work’s premiere on 20 February 1881, which was the first premiere of a Bruckner symphony not to be conducted by Bruckner himself. Some changes made after the first performance of the latter – numerous changes in orchestration, a replacement of a 4-bar passage with a 12-bar passage in the Finale, and a 20-bar cut in the Andante. Most of these changes are described in Carragan’s “Red Book”. Moreover, Bruckner reworked the passage that bridges the end of the development section of the Finale and the beginning of the reprise. Bars 351–430, i.e. the transition at the end of the development as well as the reprise of the first motif and the first part of the second motif, were removed and replaced by a few bars new transition. This abbreviated version was used for the first performance and Bruckner specifically requested that it was used when the Fourth was played for a second time. The 1880 version is available in an edition by Robert Haas, which was published in 1936, based on Bruckner’s manuscript in the Austrian National Library. A critical edition of the 1880 version has been issued by Benjamin Korstvedt in 2019. Another edition has been issued by Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs for the in 2021 – with the abbreviated finale as it was performed by Felix Mottl on 10 December 1881 in Karlsruhe.

1886 variant#

The 1886 version is largely the same as the 1880 version but has a number of changes – notably in the last few bars of the Finale, in which the third and fourth horns play the main theme of the first movement – made by Bruckner while preparing a score of the symphony for Anton Seidl, who took it with him to New York City. This version was published in an edition by Nowak in 1953, based on the original copyist’s score, which was rediscovered in 1952 and is now in the collection of Columbia University. In the title of Nowak’s publication, it was confusingly described as the “1878–1880 version”. It was performed in New York by Seidl on 4 April 1888.

Version III (1888)#

With the assistance of Ferdinand Löwe and probably also Franz and Joseph Schalk, Bruckner thoroughly revised the symphony in 1887–88 with a view to having it published. Although Löwe and the Schalks made some changes to the score, these are now thought to have been authorized by Bruckner. This version was first performed, to acclaim, by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Hans Richter in Vienna on 20 January 1888. The only surviving manuscript which records the compositional process of this version is the Stichvorlage, or engraver’s copy of the score, which was prepared for the symphony’s publisher Albert J. Gutmann of Vienna. The Stichvorlage was written down by three main copyists whose identities are unknown – but it is possible they were none other than Löwe and the two Schalks. One copyist copied out the 1st and 4th movements; the others each copied out one of the inner movements. Some tempi and expression marks were added in a fourth hand; these may have been inserted by Hans Richter during rehearsals, or even by Bruckner, who is known to have taken an interest in such matters. The Stichvorlage is now in an inaccessible private collection in Vienna; there is, however, a set of black-and-white photographs of the entire manuscript in the Wiener Stadtbibliothek (A-Wst M.H. 9098/c). In February 1888, Bruckner made extensive revisions to all four movements after having heard the premiere of the 1887 version the previous month. These changes were entered in Bruckner’s own hand into the Stichvorlage, which he then dated. The Stichvorlage was sent to the Viennese firm of Albert J. Gutmann sometime between 15 May and 20 June 1888. In September 1889 the score was published by Gutmann. This was the first edition of the symphony to be published in the composer’s lifetime. In 1890 Gutmann issued a corrected text of this edition, which rectified a number of misprints. A critical edition has been issued in 2004 by Benjamin Korstvedt.

Composer: Anton Bruckner