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.