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Anton Bruckner
Early Years: up to 1845
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Born in Ansfelden, September 4th, 1824; died in
Vienna, October 11th 1896.
The eldest of 11 children (only 5 survived).
Son of the village schoolmaster and organist.
At age four, first performance for parish priest.
Was sent at 13 as a chorister to the St. Florian
monastery after his father’s death.
Exposure to pre- and classical composers.
…Early Years
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Studied the violin, singing, and played organ for
Sunday masses.
In 1841, first teaching position, he
supplemented his income with violin playing.
There are few records of his early works, but a
few masses and other pieces suggest there was
nothing extraordinary about his skills as a
composer.
St. Florian, 1845-55
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Happy to return as an assistant schoolteacher.
1849: Singing instructor for choirboys.
1850: Became provisory monastery organist.
Many works were developed during this time
and were dedicated to his friends and mentors.
1855: Passed qualifying exam for high-school
teachers.
Became unhappy and secretly left St. Florian.
Linz, 1856-68.
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December 1855: Performed his first mass in
Linz which gained him his new position.
Linz was a large town, musically influencial.
Entered into a long period of study, no
composing.
In 1861, he composed his first masterpiece, the
seven-voice Ave Maria.
Ave Maria
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With the Bishop’s Blessing, he and Sechter
worked on thousands of pages of exercise.
March 1861: certificate declaring completion of
harmony and counterpoint instruction.
A brief period of active creativity followed.
First performed on May 12, 1861 for the
founding of the Liefertafel Frohsinn.
http://www.upv.es/coro/victoria/otros/pdf/Br
uckner-Ave_Maria.pdf
Mass no. 2
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His first Mass was a great success…
Critics thought he would soon enter the
“symphonic realm with utmost success!”
First symphony between 1865-6.
Before moving to Vienna he wrote Mass no. 2
and 3, all three share similar characteristics
Written for chorus and small group of wind
instruments to meet Cecilians half way.
Revised in 1876 and 1882.
Mass No. 2 in E minor
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Composed August-November 1866.
Kyrie: e Gl: C Cr: C S: G B: C A: e
Minor tonic: only Kyrie and Agnus Dei
Gloria and Credo: same key
Kyrie: tripartite
Gloria: ends with a fugue
Unique: composed with wind accompaniment
Lifetime Achievements
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Over 7 masses
Over 9 symphonies
Many small sacred and secular works
Music was used for Nazi propaganda, Hitler was
from Linz, his religiousness was downplayed
Works still studied today
Bibliography
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“Anton Bruckner.” Classical Music Pages. 18 April 2006. <http://w3.rzberlin.mpg.de/cmp/bruckner.html.> 10 October 2000.
“Anton Bruckner.” Classical Net. 18 April 2006.
<http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/bruckner.html>. 2006.
Williamson, John. The Cambridge Companion to Bruckner. Cambridge
University Press, 2004: 41-53.