Anton Bruckner was born on September 4, 1824, in Ansfelden, a small village near Linz, Austria. He was the eldest of eleven children in a devout Catholic family. His father, Anton Bruckner Sr., was a schoolteacher and organist, and his mother, Therese Helm, was a devoutly religious woman. Bruckner’s early exposure to music came through his father, who provided him with his first music lessons. His early training in playing the organ and the violin laid a solid foundation for his musical education.
In 1837, following the death of his father, Bruckner was sent to the Augustinian monastery of St. Florian, where he continued his education and received more formal musical training. The monastery’s rich musical tradition and its impressive organ left a lasting impression on Bruckner, influencing his later compositions. At St. Florian, he was exposed to a broad spectrum of sacred music, which became a central theme in his later works.
Anton Bruckner, the renowned Austrian composer, left an indelible mark on the world of classical music. His symphonies, characterized by their grandeur, spirituality, and intricate harmonies, continue to captivate audiences around the globe. Born in 1824, Bruckner's journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most influential composers of the late Romantic era is a testament to his perseverance, unwavering dedication, and profound musical genius.
Anton Bruckner was one of the most original and influential composers of the late 19th century. He is best known for his symphonies, which are characterized by their rich harmonic language, strongly polyphonic texture, and considerable length. He also composed many sacred and secular choral works, as well as organ music.
Bruckner was born on September 4, 1824, in Ansfelden, a village near Linz in Upper Austria. He came from a humble family of farmers and craftsmen, and his father was a schoolmaster and organist. Bruckner showed musical talent from an early age, and learned to play the violin and the organ. He attended school in Hörsching, where he studied with his godfather, J.B. Weiss, a minor composer. After his father's death in 1837, he becam
Anton Bruckner - Motets
Josef Anton Bruckner (4 September 1824 – 11 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum 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.[1] 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 and Hugo Wolf, Bruckner showed extreme humility before other musicians, Wagner in particular. This apparent dichotomy between Bruckner the person and Bruckner the composer hampers efforts to describe his life in a way that gives a straightforward context for his music. Hans von Bülow described him as "half genius, half simpleton". Bruckner was critical of his own work and often reworked his compositions. There are several versions of many of his works.
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 and use of repetition, as well as to Bruckner's propensity for revising 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.
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Anton Bruckner - Symphony No. 4 (Romantic) Op. 85
Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 4 in E-flat 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 of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst. It was premiered in 1881 by Hans Richter in Vienna to great acclaim.
The symphony's nickname of "Romantic" was used by the composer himself. This was at the height of the Romantic movement in the arts as depicted, amongst others, in the operas Lohengrin and Siegfried of Richard Wagner.
According to Albert Speer, the symphony was performed before the fall of Berlin, in a concert on 12 April 1945. Speer chose the symphony as a signal that the Nazis were about to lose the war.
1. Bewegt, nicht zu schnell
2. Andante, quasi allegretto
3. Scherzo. Bewegt - Trio: Nicht zu schnell
4. Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell
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Anton Bruckner - Mass No. 3 (Grosse Messe)
The Mass No. 3 in F minor, WAB 28, by Anton Bruckner is a setting of the mass ordinary for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, and organ ad libitum.
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." Ultimately, Herbeck found the mass "too long and unsingable." After various delays, the mass was finally premiered on June 16, 1872, at the Augustinerkirche, with Bruckner himself conducting. 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. A second performance occurred in the Hofmusikkapelle on 8 December 1873. The manuscript is archived at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.
After the third performance (30 July 1876), Bruckner made slight revisions on the Kyrie and the Gloria, and in 1877 on the Credo. He made a further revision on the Credo in 1881, in preparation for performances at the Hofkapelle, 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 a letter to Siegfried Ochs of 14 April 1895, the composer wrote:
Der Bruckner wird alt und möchte doch so gern noch die F-Moll '[Messe]' hören! Bitte, bitte! Das wäre der Höhepunkt meines Lebens. Aber dann manches anders als die Partitur! Bei Des-Dur im Credo: 'Deum vero de Deo' bitte 'Organo pleno'! Nicht Register sparen!
Translation: Bruckner is growing old and would very much like to live to hear the F minor [Mass]! Please, please! That would be the climax of my life. But then much is to be different from the score! In the D♭ major of the Credo: Deum verum de Deo, please, Organo Pleno! Spare not on the registers!.
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.
1. Kyrie
2. Gloria
3. Credo
4. Sanctus
5. Benedictus
6. Agnus Dei
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