Bruckner - Composers - Classic FM Classic FM Anton Bruckner (1824–1896) was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. Life and Music Bruckner's father was the local church organist and his mother a singer in the choir. However, he didn't begin his formal music training until he was 11, when he spent five years as a choirboy at the monastery of St Florian (near Linz). Starting out professional life as a music teacher, Bruckner made a few attempts at small-scale composition, although it was not until 1848 that he felt inspired to produce his first notable work, the Requiem in D minor. Having been appointed organist back at St Florian, most of Bruckner's energies remained on teaching and the organ, an instrument upon which he had become widely recognised as one of Europe's greatest exponents. On attending a performance of Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser, the 38-year-old Bruckner felt driven to make composition his main vocation.

Inspired by Wagner's example, he set to work on an Overture in G minor and the (unnumbered) Symphony in F minor, which were gradually followed over the next three years by Symphonies Nos. '0' and 1, and his first indisputable masterpiece, the Mass in D minor of 1864. The sheer strain caused by the hours of constant study in addition to his professional responsibilities, resulted in an acute nervous collapse early in 1867. Recovered, in 1867 he took a teaching post in Vienna at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. In 1875, Bruckner became the first lecturer in harmony and counterpoint at the University of Vienna. Bruckner's final years were largely devoted to the composition of the Ninth Symphony, which remained tantalisingly incomplete at the time of his death. Did you know? Bruckner took a Vienna Conservatory diploma, at which Johann Herbeck, the chief examiner and distinguished conductor, exclaimed: "He should have examined us!

If I knew just one tenth of what he knows, I'd be happy." Anton Bruckner Anton Bruckner Location of death: Vienna, Austria Cause of death: unspecified Remains: Buried, St. Florian Church, Linz, Austria Gender: Male Nationality: Austria Executive summary: Mass in D Minor Austrian musical composer, born on the 4th of September 1824 at Ansfelden in upper Austria. He successfully competed for the organistship for Linz Cathedral in 1855. In 1867 he succeeded his former master of counterpoint, Sechter, as organist of the Hofkapelle in Vienna, and also became professor in the conservatory. In 1875 he was appointed to a lectureship in the university. His most striking talent was shown in his extemporizations on the organ. His success in an organ competition at Nancy in 1869 led to his playing in Paris and London (six recitals at the Albert Hall, 1871). His permanent reputation, however, rests on his compositions, especially his nine symphonies.

In these gigantic efforts the influence of Richard Wagner is paramount in almost every feature of harmony and orchestration; and if sustained seriousness of purpose and style were all that was necessary to give coherence to works in which these influences are stultified by the rhythmic uniformities of an experienced improvisatore and the impressions of classical form as taught in schools, then Bruckner would certainly have been what the extreme Wagnerian party called him, the symphonic successor of Ludwig van Beethoven , or the Wagner of the symphony. But their lack of organization and proportion, to say nothing of humor, will always make their revival a somewhat severe task. No composer has ever been more consistent to lofty ideals, though few who have ever had an ideal have shown less adroitness in their methods of embodying it. The most poetic and admired feature of his style is a slow growth to a gigantic climax, slow enough and gigantic enough for any situation in Wagner's Nibelungen tetralogy.

The symphonies in which these climaxes occur are in obviously unskilful classical form, with only an outward appearance of freedom; and the Great Pyramid would hardly be more out of place in an Oxford quadrangle than Bruckner's climaxes in his four-movement symphonies with their "second subjects" and recapitulations. Nor is it likely that Bruckner would have been much more successful in handling these gigantic things in their legitimate Wagnerian dramatic environment, for even in his last three symphonies he hardly ever frees himself from the trammels of square rhythm; and, as he accepts the classical sonata-forms without inquiry into their meaning or relevance, so he accepts the Wagnerian stage orchestra in its minutest details, without inquiry as to its relevance for the purposes and acoustics of the concert-room, and with the same lack of sense of relief that ruins the balance of his rhythmic periods. So unsophisticated a temperament may be not unpoetical, but it is eminently undramatic, as well as unsymphonic.

Of Bruckner's choral works, which include three masses and several psalms and motets, the most famous is the Te Deum (1885), which shows his characteristic power in massive effect. Bruckner wished this to be appended to the three complete movements of his 9th symphony, which his last illness (ending in his death at Vienna on the 11th of October 1896) prevented him from finishing. This 9th symphony is designed, with characteristic tactlessness and simplicity, to follow Beethoven's 9th symphony in every possible point which could challenge comparison; in key (D minor), opening (mysterious tremolo leading to tremendous unison tutti), contrasts (return in first movement) and choral finale. The three complete movements were first performed in Vienna in 1903, and have done more for Bruckner's fame than anything since the production in 1884 of his 7th symphony (of which the slow movement is an elegy on the death of Wagner).

It is probable that the impression produced by this 9th symphony is the deeper as owing little or nothing to the musical politics which had gone far to prevent the 7th symphony from standing on its own unmistakable merits. It does not, however, seem likely that Bruckner's work will have much influence on musical progress; for the modern characteristics in which its strength lies are obviously better realized in other forms which have often been handled successfully by composers greatly Bruckner's inferiors both in invention and sincerity. Father: (schoolmaster, d. 1837) Teacher: St. Florian Monastery School (ten years) Professor: Vienna Conservatory (1868-) Anton Bruckner Biography - Childhood, Life And Timeline Musicians Anton Bruckner Biography The sparkling career of Anton Bruckner has always been an inspiration for many. Read this biography to learn about the childhood, life and timeline of the great Austrian musical maestro. Quick Facts Anton Bruckner Ferry BÃ©raton [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Anton Bruckner, one of the most brilliant and admired composers of the nineteenth century, was known for symphonies, masses and motets, which even today continues to enamor its listeners.

His exemplary Austro-German Romantic compositions are marked for their smooth and flowing harmonic language and polyphonic character. This eminent composer had an immense influence on the following generation of musicians â one of his friends, Gustav Mahler, even went on to describe him as âhalf simpleton, half godâ. Quite contrary to other musical radicals like Richard Wagner or Hugo Wolf, Bruckner comported himself with great humility in front of other musicians, especially Wagner. Though often his works, especially the symphonies in particular, received belittling remarks from influential Austrian critic, Eduard Hanslick and other devotees of Johannes Brahms, for their large size and use of repetition, they hardly succeeded in killing the spirit of this musical master. He along with his friend improvised and revived many of his works, which received immense appreciations. To know more about this great organist, continue reading. Anton Bruckner’s Childhood And Early Life Anton Bruckner was born on September 4, 1824 in Ansfelden (then a village, now a suburb of Linz). His father was a schoolteacher and an organist from whom Bruckner obtained his first music lessons in childhood.

At the age of six, Bruckner was admitted to the school, but being a hard-working student, he was promoted to upper class early. Even as a student, Bruckner used to assist his father in teaching other children. In the year 1833, Bruckner's father decided to send him to another school in Hörsching. Johann Baptist Weib, the schoolmaster, was a great music enthusiast and a wonderful organist. Bruckner completed his school education under his tutelage and became an excellent organ player. There Bruckner also wrote his first composition, Vier Präludien in Es-Dur für Orgel for the organ. Due to his father’s illness, Anton returned to Ansfelden to help his father in his work. In 1837, when Bruckner was just 13-years-old, his father passed away. Bruckner inherited his father’s teaching position and the house and was sent to the Augustinian monastery in St. Florian to become a choirboy. Apart from choir practice, he also had violin and organ lessons.

At the monastery, Bruckner had a fascination for the Monastery’s great organ, built during the late baroque era and rebuilt in 1837, which Bruckner often played during church services. However, the organ was later renamed after him and came to be known as the "Bruckner Organ". Career Overlooking Bruckner’s musical bent, his mother insisted that Bruckner’s future lay in teaching, and hence he was sent to a teacher seminar in Linz in 1840. Bruckner came through with flying colors in the seminar and was subsequently sent to serve as a teacher's assistant to a school in Windhaag. There Bruckner received a meager payment and humiliations from his superior teacher Franz Fuchs. Prelate Michael Arneth, realizing Bruckner’s plight in Windhaag, awarded him a teacher's assistant position in St. Florian, and sent him to Kronstorf an der Enns for two years. This change turned out to be extremely fruitful. There at Kronstorf, his compositions exhibited signs of maturity as compared to his earlier dabblings and marked the beginning of a promising career. In 1845, Bruckner returned to St.

Florian from Kronstorf, and pursued a career as a teacher and an organist for ten years. After passing an examination in May 1845, Bruckner earned the position of an assistant teacher in one of the village schools of St. Florian. He kept on earning higher degrees, which allowed him to take up teaching positions in higher education institutes. He was appointed as an organist in St. Florian in 1848; the position was made regular three years later in 1851. In St. Florian, most of the repertoire consisted of the music of Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, Michael Haydn and Franz Joseph Aumann. Bruckner’s incessant thirst for music urged him to take up a counterpoint course with Simon Sechter. In 1861, he commenced his further studies with Otto Kitzler, who introduced him to the music of Richard Wagner, which Bruckner studied extensively from 1863 onwards. Bruckner continued his studies till the age of 40, but it was not until he turned 60 that he earned fame and recognition.

In 1861, Bruckner came in contact with Franz Liszt, an important harmonic innovator who shared his Catholic faith. After Bruckner wrapped up his studies under Sechter and Kitzler, he wrote his first major work the Mass in D Minor. After Sechter’s demise in 1868, Bruckner reluctantly took up Sechter's position as a teacher of music theory at the Vienna Conservatory, and devoted himself solely to writing symphonies. However the symphonies created during this period earned mostly criticism and were remarked as "wild" and "nonsensical". Later, in 1875, he was appointed to the Vienna University, where he sought to include music theory in the curriculum. While in Vienna, he resented the musical dominance of critic Eduard Hanslick. The musical community in Vienna was split into two sects — the advocates of the music of Wagner and the admirers of Brahms. Bruckner protagonism for Wagner’s style made an unintentional enemy out of Hanslick. His supporters included Deutsche Zeitung's music critic Theodor Helm, and famous conductors such as Arthur Nikisch and Franz Schalk.

These friends also assisted Bruckner to make certain improvisations in his music so as to be more acceptable to the public, which Bruckner complied to. Apart from symphonies, Bruckner also wrote masses, some more sacred choral works, motets and some chamber works, including a string quintet. Bruckner was one of the most prominent organists of his day. In two of his most famous performances in France in 1869 and in England in 1871, he enchanted the audiences with his six recitals on a new Henry Willis organ. He was graced with the Order of Franz Joseph in July 1886 by the Emperor. Personal Life Though Bruckner made several unsuccessful marriage proposals to teenage girls, he remained a bachelor throughout his life. Once he even proposed the daughter of one of his friends, Louise. The cantata "Entsagen" (Renunciation) is said to have been composed in her grief. He fell in love of a 17-year-old peasant girl in the cast of the Oberammergau Passion Play in 1880. However, his unusual penchants for teenage girl seemed to have been stirred by his fear of sin.

He believed that unlike older women, if he married a teenage girl, he could be certain of her virginity. However, his obsession for these teenage girls lasted even when he was past his 70th birthday. Once he came extremely close to marrying a teenage girl, but the relationship ended when she refused to accept Catholicism. Death And Legacy Bruckner left for his heavenly abode in 1896 in Vienna when he was 72. He is buried in the crypt of St. Florian monastery church, just below his favorite organ. Before his death, he instructed to embalm his corpse. In the year 1932, the Anton Bruckner Private University for Music, Drama and Dance, an institution of higher education in Linz in Ansfelden was named in his honor. The Bruckner Orchester Linz was also named after him. Requiem in D minor, 1849 Overture in G minor, 1862 String Quartet in C minor, 1862 Symphony No.

1 in C minor, 1866 Intermezzo in D minor, 1879 ANTON BRUCKNER TIMELINE Anton Bruckner was born on the September 4. 1837: Anton Bruckner - Famous Figures biography Anton Bruckner Category : Famous Figures Last modified : 2011-08-11 The Austrian composer Joseph Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) is best known for his nine monumental symphonies and his religious compositions. Anton Bruckner was born on Sept. 4, 1824, at Ansfelden in Upper Austria. He was the first of 11 children of the village schoolmaster. At an early age Anton had his first music lessons from his father and began to help him with his teaching duties. When he was 11, he began to study with his cousin, and his earliest compositions date from this time. Two years later, at the death of his father, Anton was transferred to the monastery of St. Florian, where he remained as a chorister until 1840. St.

Florian was always to be a spiritual refuge for him; at his own request, he was buried under the great organ there. After preparatory courses at Linz, Bruckner was certified as an assistant teacher for elementary schools. He taught in a small village near Steyr, where he continued his organ studies. In 1845 he became a teacher and assistant organist at St. Florian and was finally appointed first organist in 1855. During the years at St. Florian, Bruckner composed many liturgical works. Typical of the larger-scale compositions are the Requiem (1849) and the Missa solemnis (1854), both first performed at St. Florian. In 1856 Bruckner became principal organist at Linz Cathedral. He studied with the Viennese theorist and organist Simon Sechter, traveling to Vienna every year for 6 weeks of concentrated study. During his 5 years of strict contrapuntal studies, he did not compose. Bruckner completed his course with Sechter in 1861 and began to study orchestration and form with the conductor Otto Kitzler.

Through him, Bruckner came to know Wagner's music. Stimulated by this new experience, he began to write instrumental works: an overture, two unnumbered symphonies, and a string quartet. Bruckner's first mature work was the Mass in D Minor (1864); it was followed by the Mass in E Minor and the First Symphony (1866). Partly because of overwork, the composer suffered a severe nervous breakdown in 1867. A sojourn at Bad Kreuzen brought him relief, and grateful for his recovery, he began his third, and last, great Mass, in F Minor, which he completed the following year. Bruckner became professor of thorough bass, counterpoint, and organ at the Vienna Conservatory in 1868, a position he retained till 1891. He held other important posts in Vienna: organist of the Imperial Court Chapel (1868-1892) and lecturer in harmony and counterpoint at the University of Vienna (1875-1894). He also found time to write his huge symphonies, which are pervaded by a deep religious feeling.

At first, they were not successful. His partisanship of Wagner brought him the enmity of Eduard Hanslick and other influential critics in Vienna, who preferred the music of Brahms. However, Bruckner's work gradually won recognition, especially outside Austria. Bruckner's last eight symphonies were composed in Vienna beginning in 1871. He frequently revised his work; for example, there are three versions of the Second, Third, and Eighth Symphonies and four of the Fourth (Romantic) Symphony. Since other revisions were also made, with or without his authorization, by his disciples, it has been extremely hard to establish the accurate text of his symphonies. The International Bruckner Society has published critical editions. Bruckner's health failed during his last years. In 1895 the emperor Franz Josef offered him free quarters in the Belvedere Palace. There, after a morning spent working on the Ninth Symphony (the finale is incomplete), Bruckner died on Oct. 11, 1896. View the full website biography of Anton Bruckner .

Anton Bruckner: Biography - Classic Cat Anton Bruckner 4 sep 1824 (Ansfelden) - 11 oct 1896 (Vienna) Buy sheetmusic from Bruckner at SheetMusicPlus Anton Bruckner wearing the Order of Franz Joseph (portrait by Josef Büche). Anton Bruckner (4 September 1824 – 11 October 1896) was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies , masses , and motets . The former are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, complex polyphony , and considerable length. Bruckner's compositions helped to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing to their dissonances , unprepared modulations , and roving harmonies . Unlike other radicals, such as Richard Wagner or Hugo Wolf who fit the enfant terrible mould, Bruckner showed extreme humility before other musicians, Wagner in particular. This apparent dichotomy between Bruckner the man and Bruckner the composer hampers efforts to describe his life in a way that gives a straightforward context for his music.

His works, the symphonies in particular, had detractors, most notably the influential Austrian critic Eduard Hanslick , and other supporters of Johannes Brahms , who pointed to their large size, use of repetition, [1] and Bruckner's propensity to revise many of his works, often with the assistance of colleagues, and his apparent indecision about which versions he preferred. Contents 7 External links Biography Anton Bruckner was born in Ansfelden on September 4, 1824. His father, a schoolmaster [2] and organist, was his first music teacher. He died when Anton was 13 years old. [3] Bruckner worked for a few years as a teacher's assistant, fiddling at village dances at night to supplement his income. He studied at the Augustinian monastery in St. Florian , becoming an organist there in 1851, where most of the repertoire consisted of the music of Michael Haydn , Johann Georg Albrechtsberger and Franz Joseph Aumann . [4] In 1855, he took up a counterpoint course with Simon Sechter .

He later studied with Otto Kitzler , who introduced him to the music of Richard Wagner , which Bruckner studied extensively from 1863 onwards. Bruckner continued his studies to the age of 40. Broad fame and acceptance did not come until he was over 60. A devout Catholic who loved to drink beer, Bruckner was out of step with his contemporaries. In 1861 he had already made the acquaintance of Franz Liszt who, like Bruckner, had a strong, Catholic religious faith and who first and foremost was a harmonic innovator, initiating the new German school together with Wagner. Soon after Bruckner had ended his studies under Sechter and Kitzler, he wrote his first mature work, the Mass in D Minor. Bruckner, circa 1860 In 1868, after Sechter had died, Bruckner hesitantly accepted Sechter's post as a teacher of music theory at the Vienna Conservatory , during which time he concentrated most of his energy on writing symphonies. These symphonies, however, were poorly received, at times considered "wild" and "nonsensical".

He later accepted a post at the Vienna University in 1875, [5] where he tried to make music theory a part of the curriculum. Overall, he was unhappy in Vienna , which was musically dominated by the critic Eduard Hanslick . At the time there was a feud between advocates of the music of Wagner and Brahms; by aligning himself with Wagner, Bruckner made an unintentional enemy out of Hanslick. However, he was not without supporters; Deutsche Zeitung's music critic Theodor Helm , and famous conductors such as Arthur Nikisch and Franz Schalk constantly tried to bring his music to the public, and for this purpose proposed 'improvements' for making Bruckner's music more acceptable to the public. While Bruckner allowed these changes, he also made sure in his will to bequeath his original scores to the Vienna National Library, confident of their musical validity. Another proof of Bruckner's confidence in his artistic ability is that he often started work on a new symphony just a few days after finishing the previous one.

In addition to his symphonies, Bruckner wrote masses , motets and other sacred choral works, and a few chamber works, including a string quintet. Unlike his romantic symphonies, some of Bruckner's choral works are often conservative and contrapuntal in style; however the Te Deum, Helgoland, Psalm 150 and at least one Mass demonstrate innovative and radical uses of chromaticism. Biographers generally characterize Bruckner as a very simple man, [6] and numerous anecdotes abound as to his dogged pursuit of his chosen craft and his humble acceptance of the fame that eventually came his way. Once, after a rehearsal of his Fourth Symphony , the well-meaning Bruckner tipped the conductor Hans Richter : "When the symphony was over," Richter related, "Bruckner came to me, his face beaming with enthusiasm and joy. I felt him press a coin into my hand. 'Take this' he said, 'and drink a glass of beer to my health.'" Richter, of course, accepted the coin, a Maria Theresa thaler , and wore it on his watch-chain ever after.

Bruckner was a renowned organist in his day, impressing audiences in France in 1869, and England in 1871, giving six recitals on a new Henry Willis organ at Royal Albert Hall in London and five more at the Crystal Palace . Though he wrote no major works for the organ, [7] his improvisation sessions sometimes yielded ideas for the Symphonies. Indeed, the orchestration in his symphonies often involves abrupt switches and call-and-response between multiple groups of instruments, much like switching manuals on an organ. He taught organ performance at the Conservatory; among his students were Hans Rott and Franz Schmidt . Gustav Mahler , who called Bruckner his "forerunner", attended the conservatory at this time (Walter n.d.). Bruckner never married; he was attracted to teenage girls, who turned down the proposals of the older man. One such was the daughter of a friend, called Louise; in his grief he is believed to have written the cantata "Entsagen" (Renunciation). His affection for teenage girls led to an accusation of impropriety where he taught music, and while he was exonerated, he decided to concentrate on teaching boys afterwards.

His calendar for 1874 details the names of girls who appealed to him, and the list of such girls in all his diaries was very long. In 1880 he fell for a 17-year-old peasant girl in the cast of the Oberammergau Passion Play . His interest in girls appears to have been based on the assumed virtue retained through their being young, and lasted as long as they seemed worthy of marriage; he feared sin. His unsuccessful proposals to teenage girls continued into his seventies; one potential relationship that might have been suitable when he was older came to nothing because the girl would not convert to Catholicism. [8] In July 1886, the Emperor decorated him with the Order of Franz Joseph . [9] Bruckner died in Vienna in 1896, of natural causes. He is buried in the crypt of St. Florian monastery church, right below his favorite organ.

[10] The Anton Bruckner Private University for Music, Drama, and Dance , an institution of higher education in Linz , close to his native Ansfelden, was named after him in 1932 ("Bruckner Conservatory Linz" until 2004). The Bruckner Orchester Linz was also named in his honor. Works See also: List of compositions by Anton Bruckner Sometimes Bruckner's works are referred to by WAB numbers, from the Werkverzeichnis Anton Bruckner, a catalogue of Bruckner's works edited by Renate Grasberger. The revision issue has generated controversy. A common explanation for the multiple versions is that Bruckner was willing to revise his work on the basis of harsh, uninformed criticism from his colleagues. "The result of such advice was to awaken immediately all the insecurity in the non-musical part of Bruckner's personality," musicologist Deryck Cooke writes. "Lacking all self-assurance in such matters, he felt obliged to bow to the opinions of his friends, 'the experts,' to permit ...

revisions and even to help make them in some cases." [11] This explanation was given enormous cachet when it was championed by Bruckner scholar Robert Haas , who was the chief editor of the first critical editions of Bruckner's works published by the International Bruckner Society ; it continues to be found in the majority of program notes and biographical sketches concerning Bruckner. It was however sharply criticized by scholars such as Haas's successor Leopold Nowak , Benjamin Korstvedt and conductor Leon Botstein who argue that Haas' explanation is at best idle speculation, at worst a shady justification of Haas' own editorial decisions. Also, it has been pointed out that Bruckner often started work on a symphony just days after finishing the one before.

[12] As Cooke writes, "In spite of continued opposition and criticism, and many well-meaning exhortations to caution from his friends, he looked neither to right nor left, but simply got down to work on the next symphony." [11] Symphonies Style Anton Bruckner Bruckner's Symphonies are all in four movements (though he was unable to complete the finale of the Ninth), starting with a modified sonata allegro form, a slow movement, a scherzo in 3/4 time, and a modified sonata allegro form finale. (In the Eighth, Ninth, and one version of the Second, the slow movements and scherzi are reversed. The Fourth features a scherzo in which the outer sections are in 2/4 meter, not the customary 3/4.) They are scored for a fairly standard orchestra of woodwinds in pairs, four horns, two or three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani and strings. The later symphonies increase this complement, but not by much. Notable is the use of Wagner tubas in his last three symphonies. With the exception of Symphony No.

4, none of Bruckner's Symphonies has subtitles, and most of the nicknames were not thought up by the composer. Bruckner's works are trademarked with powerful codas and grand finales, as well as the frequent use of unison passages and orchestral tutti . His style of orchestral writing was criticized by his Viennese contemporaries, but by the middle of the 20th century musicologists recognized that Bruckner's orchestration was modeled after the sound of his primary instrument, the pipe organ . Nicholas Temperley writes in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1980) that Bruckner alone succeeded in creating a new school of symphonic writing.... Some have classified him as a conservative, some as a radical. Really he was neither, or alternatively was a fusion of both.... [H]is music, though Wagnerian in its orchestration and its in its huge rising and falling periods, patently has its roots in older styles. Bruckner took Beethoven 's Ninth Symphony as his starting-point....

The introduction to the first movement, beginning mysteriously and climbing slowly with fragments of the first theme to the gigantic full statement of that theme, was taken over by Bruckner; so was the awe-inspiring coda of the first movement. The scherzo and slow movement, with their alternation of melodies, are models for Bruckner's spacious middle movements, while the finale with a grand culminating hymn is a feature of almost every Bruckner symphony. [13] Bruckner is the first composer since Schubert about whom it is possible to make such generalizations. His symphonies deliberately followed a pattern, each one building on the achievements of its predecessors.... His melodic and harmonic style changed little, and it had as much of Schubert in it as of Wagner.... His technique in the development and transformation of themes , learnt from Beethoven, Liszt and Wagner, was unsurpassed, and he was almost the equal of Brahms in the art of melodic variation.

[14] Cooke adds, also in the New Grove, Despite its general debt to Beethoven and Wagner, the "Bruckner Symphony" is a unique conception, not only because of the individuality of its spirit and its materials, but even more because of the absolute originality of its formal processes. At first, these processes seemed so strange and unprecedented that they were taken as evidence of sheer incompetence.... Now it is recognized that Bruckner's unorthodox structural methods were inevitable.... Bruckner created a new and monumental type of symphonic organism, which abjured the tense, dynamic continuity of Beethoven, and the broad, fluid continuity of Wagner, in order to express something profoundly different from either composer, something elemental and metaphysical.

[15] In a concert review, Bernard Holland described parts of the first movements of Bruckner's sixth and seventh symphonies as follows: "There is the same slow, broad introduction, the drawn-out climaxes that grow, pull back and then grow some more — a sort of musical coitus interruptus." [16] In the 2001 Second Edition of the New Grove, Mark Evan Bonds called the Bruckner symphonies "monumental in scope and design, combining lyricism with an inherently polyphonic design.... Bruckner favored an approach to large-scale form that relied more on large-scale thematic and harmonic juxtaposition. Over the course of his output, one senses an ever-increasing interest in cyclic integration that culminates in his masterpiece, the Symphony no.8 in C minor, a work whose final page integrates the main themes of all four movements simultaneously." [17] Works Otto Kitzler, Bruckner's last composition teacher, set him three final tasks as the climax of his studies: a choral work, an overture, and a symphony. The latter, completed in 1863, was then Bruckner's Study Symphony in F minor .

Bruckner later rejected this work, but he did not destroy it. While it certainly reminds one of earlier composers such as Robert Schumann , it undeniably 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 until 1973 and is occasionally listed as Symphony No. 00. Bruckner's Symphony No. 1 in C minor (sometimes called by Bruckner "das kecke Beserl", roughly translated as "the saucy maid" [18] ) was completed in 1866, but the original text of this symphony was not reconstructed until 1998. Instead, it is commonly known in two versions, the so-called Linz Version which is based mainly on rhythmical revisions made in 1877, and the completely revised Vienna Version of 1891, which begins to reveal his mature style, e.g. Symphony No. 8 . Next was the so-called Symphony No.

0 in D minor of 1869, a work which was so harshly criticized that Bruckner retracted it completely, and it was not performed at all during his lifetime, hence his choice for the number of the symphony. The Symphony No. 2 in C minor was revised in 1873, 1876, 1877 and 1892. It is sometimes called the Symphony of Pauses for its dramatic use of whole-orchestra rests, which accentuate the form of the piece. In the Carragan edition of the 1872 version, the Scherzo is placed second and the Adagio third. It is in the same key as No. 1. [19] Bruckner presented his Symphony No. 3 in D minor , written in 1873, to Wagner along with the Second, asking which of them he might dedicate to him.

Wagner chose the Third, and Bruckner sent him a fair copy soon later, which is why the original version of the Wagner Symphony is preserved so well despite revisions in 1874, 1876, 1877 and 1888/1889. One thing that helped Wagner choose which Symphony to accept the dedication was that the 3rd contains quotations from Wagner's music dramas, such as Die Walküre and Lohengrin. [20] These quotations were taken out in revised versions. Bruckner's first great success was his Symphony No. 4 in E flat major , more commonly known as the Romantic Symphony, the only epithet applied to a symphony by the composer himself. The 1874 version has been seldom played and success came only after major revisions in 1878, including a completely new scherzo and finale, and again in 1880/1881, once again with a completely rewritten finale. This version was premiered in 1881 (under the conductor Hans Richter ). Bruckner made more minor revisions of this symphony in 1886-1888.

Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 in B flat major crowns his most productive era of symphony-writing, finished at the beginning of 1876. The original version seems unrecoverable and we know only the thoroughly revised version of 1878. Many consider this symphony to be Bruckner's lifetime masterpiece in the area of counterpoint . For example, the Finale is a combined fugue and sonata form movement: the first theme (characterized by the downward leap of an octave) appears in the exposition as a four-part fugue in the strings and the concluding theme of the exposition is presented first as a chorale in the brass, then as a four part fugue in the development, and culminating in a double fugue with the first theme at the recapitulation; additionally, the coda combines not only these two themes but also the main theme of the first movement. Bruckner never heard it played by an orchestra. [21] Symphony No.

6 in A major , written in 1879-1881, is an oft-neglected work; [22] whereas the Bruckner rhythm (two quarters plus a quarter triplet or vice versa) is an important part of his previous symphonies, it pervades this work, particularly in the first movement, making it particularly difficult to perform. Bruckner, 1894 Symphony No. 7 in E major was the most beloved of Bruckner's symphonies with audiences of the time, and is still popular. It was written 1881-1883 and revised in 1885. During the time that Bruckner began work on this Symphony, he was aware that Wagner's death was imminent, and so the Adagio is slow mournful music for Wagner, and for the first time in Bruckner's oeuvre, the Wagner tuba is included in the orchestra. Bruckner began composition of his Symphony No. 8 in C minor in 1884. In 1887 Bruckner sent the work to Hermann Levi , the conductor who had led his Seventh to great success.

Levi, who had said Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony was the greatest symphony written after Beethoven, believed that the Eighth was a confusing jumble. Bruckner was devastated by Levi's assessment. [23] Bruckner revised the work, sometimes with the aid of Franz Schalk , and completed this new version in 1890. Cooke writes that "Bruckner not only recomposed [the Eighth]... but greatly improved it in a number of ways.... This is the one symphony that Bruckner did not fully achieve in his first definite version, to which there can be no question of going back." [24] The final accomplishment of Bruckner's life was to be his Symphony No. 9 in D minor which he started in August 1887, and which he dedicated "To God the Beloved." The first three movements were completed by the end of 1894, the Adagio alone taking 18 months to complete. Work was delayed by the composer's poor health and by his compulsion to revise his early symphonies, and by the time of his death in 1896 he had not finished the last movement.

The first three movements remained unperformed until their premiere in Vienna (in Ferdinand Löwe 's version) on 11 February 1903. Bruckner suggested using his Te Deum as a Finale, which would complete the homage to Beethoven 's Ninth symphony (also in D minor ). The problem was that the Te Deum is in C major , while the 9th Symphony is D minor , and, although Bruckner began sketching a transition from the Adagio key of E major to the triumphant key of C major, he did not pursue the idea. [25] There have been several attempts to complete these sketches and prepare them for performance, as well as completions of his later sketches for an instrumental Finale, but only the first three movements of the Symphony are usually performed. Sacred choral works Bruckner wrote a Te Deum , settings of various Psalms (including Psalm 150 in the 1890s), various motets (among them settings of Christus factus est pro nobis and Ave Maria ), and at least seven Masses .

His Requiem in D minor of 1849 is the earliest work Bruckner himself considered worthy of preservation. It shows the clear influence of Mozart's Requiem (also in D minor) and similar works of Michael Haydn. His early Masses were usually short Austrian Landmessen for use in local churches and did not always set all the numbers of the ordinary. The three Masses Bruckner wrote in the 1860s and revised later on in his life are more often performed. The Masses numbered 1 in D minor and 3 in F minor are for solo singers, chorus and orchestra, while No. 2 in E minor is for chorus and a small group of wind instruments, and was written in an attempt to meet the Cecilians halfway. The Cecilians wanted to rid church music of instruments entirely. No. 3 was clearly meant for concert, rather than liturgical performance, and it is the only one of his Masses in which he set the first line of the Gloria, "Gloria in excelsis Deo", and of the Credo, "Credo in unum Deum", to music.

(In concert performances of the other Masses, these lines are intoned by a tenor soloist in the way a priest would, with a line of plainsong ). Other music "Anton Bruckner arrives in Heaven". Bruckner is greeted by (from left to right): Liszt , Wagner , Schubert , Schumann , Weber , Mozart , Beethoven , Gluck , Haydn , Handel , Bach . (Silhouette drawing by Otto Böhler) As a young man Bruckner sang in men's choirs and wrote music for them. This music is rarely performed. Biographer Derek Watson characterizes the pieces for men's choir as being "of little concern to the non-German listener". [26] Of thirty such pieces, Helgoland is the only secular vocal work Bruckner thought worthy enough to bequeath to the Vienna National Library. The Overture in G minor is occasionally included in recordings of the Symphonies, and it is one of the works Bruckner wrote during his apprentice with Otto Kitzler. At that time he also wrote a March in D minor and three short orchestral pieces. These works already show hints of Bruckner's emerging style.

A String Quartet in C minor was discovered decades after Bruckner's death, but is only of interest as a student composition. The later String Quintet in F major, contemporaneous with the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, has been frequently performed. There is an orchestral Symphonic Prelude that is sometimes attributed to Bruckner and sometimes to Mahler. It was discovered in the Vienna National Library in 1974 in a piano duet transcription and later orchestrated by Albrecht Gürsching, who did not know the original orchestral score (published by Doblinger, Vienna). It is likely the work of one of Bruckner's students. Bruckner's Two Aequale for three trombones is a solemn, brief work. He also wrote Lancer-Quadrille for piano. Among his most unusual and evocative compositions is the choral Abendzauber (1878) for tenor, yodelers and four alpine horns. It was never performed in Bruckner's lifetime. Bruckner never wrote an opera, and as much as he was a fan of Wagner's music dramas, he was uninterested in drama.

[27] In 1893 he thought about writing an opera called Astra based on a novel by Gertrud Bollé-Hellmund . [28] Although he attended performances of Wagner's operas, he was much more interested in the music than the plot. After seeing Wagner's Götterdämmerung , he asked: "Tell me, why did they burn the woman at the end?" [29] Nor did Bruckner ever write an oratorio. Reception in the 20th century Because of the long duration and vast orchestral canvas of much of his music, Bruckner's popularity has greatly benefited from the introduction of long-playing media and from improvements in recording technology. Decades after his death, the Nazis strongly approved of Bruckner's music because his music was considered by them to be an expression of the zeitgeist of the German volk , and Hitler even consecrated a bust of Bruckner in a widely photographed ceremony in 1937 at Regensburg 's Walhalla temple .

Bruckner's music was among the most popular in Nazi Germany and the Adagio from his 7th Symphony was broadcast by the German radio (Deutscher Reichsrundfunk) upon announcing the news of Hitler's death on 1 May 1945. This didn't hurt Bruckner's standing in the postwar media though, and several movies and TV productions in Europe and the United States have used excerpts from Bruckner's music ever since the 1950s. [30] Nor did the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra ever ban Bruckner's music as they have Wagner's, even recording with Zubin Mehta the Eighth Symphony. Bruckner, unlike Wagner, is not associated with antisemitism.[ citation needed ] In part because they both wrote long symphonies, and in part because of Bruno Walter 's essay, Bruckner and Mahler were often mentioned together in the 20th century. [31] Bruckner's symphonic works, much maligned in Vienna in his lifetime, now have an important place in the tradition and musical repertoire of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra .

The life of Bruckner was portrayed in Jan Schmidt-Garre's 1995 film Bruckner's Decision, which focuses on his recovery in the Austrain spa. Ken Russell 's TV movie The Strange Affliction of Anton Bruckner, starring Peter Mackriel , also fictionalizes Bruckner's real-life stay at a sanatorium because of obsessive-compulsive disorder (or 'numeromania' as it was then described), [32] . In addition, " Visconti used the music of Bruckner for his Senso (1953), its plot concerned with the Austrian invasion of Italy in the 1860s." [33] The score by Carl Davis for Ben-Hur takes "inspiration from Bruckner to achieve reverence in biblical scenes." [34] Conductors Among the conductors most associated with the works of Bruckner, going in chronological order, the first to be mentioned should perhaps be Bruno Walter , who acted as an "ambassador" for Bruckner in the United States; made celebrated recordings of symphonies 4, 7 and 9 late in his career; wrote an essay on "Bruckner and Mahler".

Otto Klemperer made one of the first two recordings of Bruckner (the adagio of the Eighth Symphony from 1924). [35] Wilhelm Furtwängler made his conducting debut with the Ninth Symphony in 1906 and conducted Bruckner constantly throughout his career. Hans Knappertsbusch was unusual in continuing to perform the first published editions of Bruckner's symphonies even after the critical editions became available. Eugen Jochum recorded Bruckner's numbered symphonies multiple times, as did Herbert von Karajan . Günter Wand , in addition to audio recordings, also made video recordings of his Bruckner concerts. Georg Tintner received acclaim late in life for his complete cycle of recordings on the Naxos label. The Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache did not conduct all of Bruckner's symphonies, but in those that he did produced readings of great breadth (Bruckner Symphony no.8), possibly the longest accounts of the works on record. Although he never made commercial recordings of Bruckner, several recordings of concert performances were released after his death.

Eliahu Inbal recorded an early cycle which featured some previously unrecorded versions. For instance, Inbal was the first conductor to record the 1st version of Bruckner's 3rd, 4th, and the completed finale to the 9th. Daniel Barenboim recorded 2 complete cycles of Bruckner's symphonies, one with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra , the other with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra . Bernard Haitink recorded all of Bruckner's numbered symphonies with the Concertgebouw Orchestra , and re-recorded several symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic and Berlin Philharmonic. Carlo Maria Giulini made a speciality of Bruckner's late symphonies. The late Giuseppe Sinopoli was in the process of recording all Bruckner's symphonies at the time of his death. More recently Riccardo Chailly , Christoph von Dohnanyi , Christian Thielemann and Mariss Jansons have recorded several Bruckner symphonies. See also Media References Bruckner, Anton. Symphony No. 8/2, C minor, 1890 version. Edited by Leopold Nowak.

New York: Eulenberg, 1994. Gilliam, Bryan, The annexation of Anton Bruckner: Nazi revisionism and the politics of appropriation, in Bruckner Studies edited by Timothy Jackson and Paul Hawkshaw. Korstvedt, Benjamin M. Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press , 2000), 19. ed. Stanley Sadie, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (London: Macmillan, 1980), 20 vols. ISBN 0-333-23111-2 . ed. Stanley Sadie, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Second Edition (London: Macmillan, 2001), 29 vols. ISBN 0-333-60800-3 .

Walter, Bruno (November 1940), "Bruckner and Mahler" , Chord and Dischord (Bruckner Society of America) II (2): 2–12, ~calaforr/walter.html , retrieved 2006-07-29 ^ "The laconic idiom of restraint, the art of mere suggestion, involving economy of means and form, is not theirs. " Bruno Walter observed, comparing Bruckner and Gustav Mahler (see Walter's Essay below). ^ Hans-Hubert Schönzeler , Bruckner. New York: Grossman Publishers (1970): 8. "Josef Bruckner had twelve children, and one of them, Anton, born in 1791, became a teacher like his father. ... In 1823 he married Therese Helm from Streyr, a marriage which was to be blessed with eleven children, ... Their eldest was Josef Anton, born on 4 September 1824 and named after his grandfather." ^ Derek Watson, Bruckner. New York: Schuster & Macmillan (1997): 3 ^ p.

94, Hawkshaw (2007) Paul. 90 "Anton Bruckner's Counterpoint Studies at the Monastery of Saint Florian, 1845–55" 1 Musical Quarterly ^ Schōnzeler (1970): 70. "In July 1875 Bruckner ... proposed yet a third time to the university of Vienna that a lectureship in harmony and counterpoint be created, and at long last, despite Hanslick's opposition, his application was successful. Bruckner was appointed to the post, and on 25 November 1875 he gave his opening oration. ^ Peter Gammond, Bluff Your Way in Music. London: Ravette Books (1985):: 33. "it is generally said that Bruckner was a very simple man ... If, after listening to one of his symphonies, you still feel that he was simple, then you are not the kind of person who should be reading this book." ^ Derek Watson, Bruckner. New York: Schuster & Macmillan (1997): 73.

"Unlike Franck or Reger, however, he [Bruckner] has not left a single composition of any value for his instrument." Anton Bruckner | Austrian composer | Britannica.com Austrian composer Alternative Title: Josef Anton Bruckner Anton Bruckner Ludwig van Beethoven Anton Bruckner, in full Josef Anton Bruckner (born Sept. 4, 1824, Ansfelden, Austria —died Oct. 11, 1896, Vienna ), Austrian composer of a number of highly original and monumental symphonies. He was also an organist and teacher who composed much sacred and secular choral music . Anton Bruckner. Life and career. Bruckner was the son of a village schoolmaster and organist in Upper Austria . He showed talent on the violin and spinet by the age of four, and by age 10 he was deputizing at the church organ . In 1835–36 he studied in Hörsching with his godfather, J.B. Weiss, a minor composer. After his father’s death in 1837, Bruckner entered the monastery-school of St. Florian as a choir boy.

This splendid Baroque foundation, with its magnificent organ, was to remain Bruckner’s spiritual home. He trained in Linz as an assistant schoolteacher in 1840–41, and after holding appointments in Windhaag and Kronstorf, he returned to St. Florian as a fully qualified elementary teacher in 1845. Bruckner taught at St. Florian for about a decade, and in 1848 he became the principal organist of its abbey church. In the meantime his compositional skills steadily advanced, and the St. Florian period saw a fine Requiem in D Minor (1849), among other works. The influences of Franz Schubert and Felix Mendelssohn were added to the Viennese classical idiom in these works. Though Bruckner eventually grew unhappy with his limited prospects at the cloistered St. Florian monastery, he was hesitant to leave its security for a purely musical career. In 1856 he was reluctantly persuaded by his friends to apply for the post of cathedral organist at Linz, which he won easily.

At the same time, he began a five-year correspondence course in advanced harmony and counterpoint with the Viennese teacher Simon Sechter. Throughout his adult life Bruckner displayed an intense devotion to the spiritual life; an inexorable appetite for musical study, revision, and improvement; and a love of practice and improvisation at the organ. With his provincial background and devout nature, he cut an odd figure among the sophisticated Romantic composers who were his contemporaries. He never lost his simplicity of character, his rural accent and dress, his social naivete, or his unquestioning deference to authority. Although his intellectual powers cannot be doubted in the light of his achievement, he remained inwardly insecure and constantly sought testimonials and certificates as to his ability. His private life took on an unhappy pattern of passionate but unrequited attachments to younger, usually teenage, girls. Britannica Stories Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent In 1861 Bruckner concluded his arduous studies with Sechter with magnificent testimonials, and he also astonished his judges at an organ examination in Vienna. His style in works such as the seven-part Ave Maria (1861) displays new freedom, depth, and assurance .

He now embarked on a study of form and orchestration with Otto Kitzler, and during this time he discovered the music of Franz Liszt , Hector Berlioz , and above all Richard Wagner . Kitzler’s production of Wagner’s opera Tannhäuser in Linz in 1863 made an enormous impression on Bruckner. The first of his three choral-orchestral masses , the Mass in D Minor (1864), crowns this period of rigorous, self-imposed training and slow growth to maturity. After two earlier essays in the orchestral form, Bruckner completed his Symphony No. 1 in C Minor in 1866. That same year he finished the Mass in E Minor, which, along with the Mass in F Minor (1868), completed his triptych of great festive masses. Throughout his creative maturity Bruckner also composed a beautiful series of motets that punctuate the colossal steps of his symphonic progress, among them Locus iste, Christus factus est, and Ecce sacerdos magnus. They rank among the highest achievements of Roman Catholic church music . Music: Fact or Fiction?

Late in 1866 Bruckner suffered a severe nervous collapse, from which he recovered after three months in a sanatorium, though intense depressions would later trouble him. In 1868 he succeeded his late teacher Sechter in a professorship at the Vienna Conservatory. There he taught harmony and counterpoint and endeared himself to pupils for his memorable and engaging academic style. The story of the last 25 years of Bruckner’s life is essentially that of his symphonies: the creation of new concepts of form, time-span, and unity, and his struggle to achieve success in the face of fierce critical opposition. The boldness and originality of his music met with incomprehension and was mocked by the powerful Viennese critic Eduard Hanslick , who was a champion of the German composer Johannes Brahms and was antipathetic toward Wagner. Bruckner was a fervent admirer of Wagner, and he was erroneously branded as a disciple of that composer; his career suffered from his unwitting involvement in the fierce battle then raging between the adherents of Wagner and Brahms.

Britannica Lists & Quizzes Editor Picks: Exploring 10 Types of Basketball Movies Bruckner received a long-sought appointment as a lecturer at the University of Vienna in 1875 over the opposition of Hanslick, who was dean of the university’s music faculty. In 1878 he was elected a member of the Hofkapelle, where he had been an unpaid organist for years. Bruckner’s principal work of chamber music , the String Quintet in F Major, was completed in 1879. A monumental setting of the Te Deum followed in 1884. Later that year, the conductor Arthur Nikisch’s premiere of the Symphony No. 7 in E Major in Leipzig was Bruckner’s first unequivocal triumph and marked a turning point in his artistic fortunes. His other symphonies soon began to win wider appreciation throughout Germany and even in Vienna. By the early 1890s Bruckner had become a famous and honoured figure, and he was awarded an honorary doctorate of philosophy from the University of Vienna in 1891.

His last choral-orchestral works were Psalm 150 (1892) and Helgoland (1893). Three movements of his Symphony No. 9 in D Minor were ready by 1894, but he was unable to complete the finale before his death. He was buried at St. Florian. Works and achievement. Bruckner had essentially only one symphonic conception , which evolved slowly over the course of his career. The key to his handling of large musical forms is a dramatic use of tonality over a long time span. (The adagio movement of a Bruckner symphony can be a profoundly emotional 30 minutes long.) His earliest symphonies represent the first stage of this development, while the Symphony No. 3 in D Minor (1873) uncovers the essence of his mature style. The Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major (1875–76) perfected the mould, which Bruckner pursued in three more complete symphonies and an unfinished one. The first movements of Bruckner’s symphonies open quietly, and the tonal interplay is often hinted at in the earliest bars.

These movements are in sonata form , but Bruckner uses three contrasting themes in the exposition rather than the usual two. The second theme is often songlike, with melodic strands appearing simultaneously. The music builds up to climaxes in a terraced or stair-step fashion by means of climbing, sequential repetitions. Connect with Britannica Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest The adagios (second movements) typically consist of the long-drawn out alteration of two thematic groups in elaborations of the ABABA form. These slow movements, which build up to massive climaxes, often attain an incomparable sublimity. The scherzos (third movements) are based on dance rhythms, but they vary greatly in tempo, and their pounding, insistent themes achieve a gigantic or primeval quality in the later symphonies. The trio section of the scherzo usually contains a gentle peasant dance, like those Bruckner accompanied in his boyhood. The final movements, like the first, are built on a three-subject expanded sonata form and incorporate elements of the first three movements. The last movement of the Fifth Symphony, which ends in a massive double fugue, is unique in Bruckner’s symphonies and is undoubtedly his greatest finale.

Both the first and last movements of Bruckner’s symphonies usually have mightily expanded codas with blazing perorations. With his disciplined academic training, strong religious inclinations, and unusually slow route to maturity, Bruckner more closely resembled a Baroque or Renaissance composer than one of the Romantic era. Yet his mature compositional style is daring in form, harmony, and tonality. His immense polyphonic skill, his ability to incorporate archaic forms within his own advanced style, his fondness for sudden contrasts of timbre and dynamics , and his use of magnificent brass effects all testify to his boldness and originality. Bruckner’s orchestration is remarkably economical, however, and is quite unlike the lavish homogeneity of Wagner. Families of instruments are sounded alternately in contrasted groups (e.g., brasses against woodwinds), achieving a beauty and monumentality out of all proportion to the relatively modest number and type of instruments employed. None of Bruckner’s symphonies are programmatic except insofar as they are “charged with the grandeur of God.” Because of the many revisions Bruckner made to his symphonic scores, there has always existed the problem of which version is best in performance.

As a general rule, however, the first version is usually preferable. The second half of the 20th century saw a huge expansion in the public’s appreciation of Bruckner, whose music repays a patient approach on the part of the listener. Anton Bruckner | paladino music Anton Bruckner Nationality: Austrian Anton Bruckner was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, strongly polyphonic character, and considerable length. Bruckner's compositions helped to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing to their dissonances, unprepared modulations, and roving harmonies. Unlike other musical radicals, such as Richard Wagner or Hugo Wolf who fit the enfant terrible mould, Bruckner showed extreme humility before other musicians, Wagner in particular. This apparent dichotomy between Bruckner the man and Bruckner the composer hampers efforts to describe his life in a way that gives a straightforward context for his music.

His works, the symphonies in particular, had detractors, most notably the influential Austrian critic Eduard Hanslick, and other supporters of Johannes Brahms, who pointed to their large size, use of repetition, and Bruckner's propensity to revise many of his works, often with the assistance of colleagues, and his apparent indecision about which versions he preferred. On the other hand, Bruckner was greatly admired by subsequent composers, including his friend Gustav Mahler, who described him as "half simpleton, half God". Anton Bruckner — Free listening, videos, concerts, stats and photos at Last.fm composer Anton Bruckner (4 September 1824 – 11 October 1896) was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The former are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, complex polyphony, and considerable length. Bruckner's compositions helped to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing to their dissonances, unprepared modulations, and roving harmonies.

Unlike other radicals, such as Richard Wagner or Hugo Wolf who fit the enfant terrible mould, Bruckner showed extreme humility before… read more

Question: What nationality was the composer Anton Bruckner?
Answer: AUSTRIAN