It is extensive - it contains over one hundred and twenty titles. Among them are many sacred works that the composer created in connection with his official duties in St. Florian and Linz. But he also wrote them out of conviction, since he was a believer, devoted to the tenets of Catholicism. Bruckner also has secular cantatas, choirs, and solo songs. He dedicated only one composition, the string quintet in F major (1879), to the chamber instrumental genre. Central to his legacy are nine monumental symphonies.
Bruckner developed his own, original symphonic concept, which he strictly adhered to in his nine works, despite the fact that he endowed them with different content. This is a clear indicator of the integrity of the composer’s creative personality.
Brought up in the conditions of the patriarchal way of provincial life, Bruckner with all his being denied the bourgeois culture of the capitalist city - he did not understand and did not accept it. Individualistic doubts, emotional strain, skepticism, mockery, and grotesquery are completely alien to him, as well as the painful sharpness of intellectual disputes and utopian dreams (This, in particular, is the fundamental difference between Bruckner and Mahler, whose work has very strong urban motifs.). His worldview is fundamentally pantheistic. He sings of the greatness of the universe, tries to penetrate into the mysterious essence of existence; violent impulses for happiness alternate with humble renunciation, and passive contemplation gives way to ecstatic jubilation.
This content of the music was partly determined by Bruckner's religious views. But it would be wrong to reduce everything to the reactionary influence of Catholicism. After all, the artist’s worldview is determined not only by the political or philosophical teachings to which he is committed, but by the entire experience of his life and work. This experience is rooted in Bruckner’s communication with the people (primarily the peasantry), with the life and nature of Austria. That is why his music exudes such powerful health. Outwardly withdrawn, not interested in politics, theater, or literature, he at the same time had a sense of modernity and, in his own way, reacted romantically to the contradictions of reality. Therefore, the power of his titanic impulses was uniquely combined with the sophistication of the imagination of the composer of the late 19th century.
Bruckner's symphonies are gigantic epics, as if carved from a monolithic block. However, monolithicity does not exclude contrast. Quite the opposite: the extremes of sentiment are aggravated to the limit, but each of them is extensively exhibited, consistently and dynamically developed. There is a logic to such a pile-up and change of images - this is the logic epic a narrative whose measured structure seems to explode from within with flashes of insight, dramatic clashes, and widely deployed lyrical scenes.
The structure of Bruckner's music is sublime, pathetic; the influence of folk traditions is less noticeable than in Schubert. Rather, an analogy with Wagner, who avoided depicting the everyday, the ordinary, suggests itself. Such a desire is generally characteristic of artists of an epic nature (unlike, say, Brahms, whose symphonies can be called lyrical dramas); hence the “spreading” of presentation, oratorical verbosity, and the contrast in the juxtaposition of large sections of form in Bruckner.
The rhapsodic nature of the statement, which ultimately comes from the style of organ improvisations, Bruckner tries to restrain with a strict adherence to symmetrical structures (structures of simple or double tripartite, forms based on the principles of framing, etc.). But within these sections, the music develops freely, impulsively, with “big breath.” An example is the symphonic Adagio - wonderful examples of Bruckner's courageous lyrics:
Thematicism is the strong point of Bruckner's music. Unlike Brahms, for whom a short motif served as a source of further development, Bruckner is a master sculptor of long-term thematic formations. They acquire additional, counterpointing motifs and, without losing figurative integrity, fill large sections of the form.
Bruckner uses three such main sections as the basis for the exposition of the sonata form (along with the main and secondary parts, the final part in Bruckner forms an independent section). The opening of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony made an indelible impression on him, and in most of his symphonies Bruckner prepares the proud cry of the main theme with the shimmering sound of the tonic triad; Often such themes, being transformed, become solemn and hymnical:
The second group of themes (side part) forms a lyrical section, similar in nature to the first, but more direct, songlike. The third group is a new contrast: dance or marching rhythms and intonations burst in, which, however, acquire a threatening, sometimes demonic quality; These are the leading themes of the scherzo - they potentially contain enormous dynamics; Powerful unisons are also often used in ostinato movement:
These three areas contain the most specific images of Bruckner's music; in various versions they form the content of his symphonies. Before turning to their dramaturgy, let us briefly describe the musical language and some of the composer’s favorite expressive techniques.
The melodic principle is clearly revealed in Bruckner's music. But the intonation and rhythmic pattern is complex, the main melody is overgrown with counterpoints, which help create a continuous fluidity of movement. This manner brings Bruckner closer to Wagner, although the connection with Austrian folk song is not broken.
And in harmony, Liszt-Wagnerian influences are observed: it is mobile, which is due to its “branchy” structure.
In general, melody and harmony develop in close interaction. Therefore, while using bold modulations and tonal deviations in distant tunings, Bruckner at the same time has no predilection for complex dissonant combinations and loves to “listen” for a long time to the sound of simple triads. However, the musical fabric of his works is often cumbersome and heavily overloaded; this is caused by the abundance of contrapuntal layers - it is not for nothing that he was famous as an expert in “strict writing”, the laws of which he studied with such diligence under the guidance of Sechter!
Bruckner's orchestral style is marked by great originality. Of course, here too the achievements of Liszt and Wagner were taken into account, but, using some of their techniques, he did not lose his original individuality. Its originality lay in the fact that from his youth until his last days Bruckner remained faithful to his favorite instrument - the organ. He improvised at the organ, and in the spirit of free improvisation his symphonic frescoes were born. In the same way, the orchestra seemed to him in the form of a monumental ideal organ. It was the organ sonority with its unmixed register timbres that determined Bruckner’s penchant for the separate use of the main groups of the orchestra, for a powerful but clear-colored tutti, for the involvement of brass instruments in the hymnical conduct of the melody, for the interpretation of solo voices, woodwinds, etc. And Bruckner sometimes brought the string group closer to the sound of the corresponding organ registers. So, he willingly used the tremolo (see example 84 a, b), melodic pizzicato in the bass, etc.
But starting from the organ, from the special techniques of its registration, Bruckner still thought orchestrally. This is probably why he did not leave any significant pieces for his favorite instrument, because in order to realize the epic plans that overwhelmed him, a certain ideal organ was required, which is what an orchestra with many sounds, powerful in dynamics, and varied in colors is. It was to him that Bruckner dedicated his best creations.
His symphonies are in four movements. Each part in the cycle performs a specific figurative and semantic function.
The lyrical center of the cycle is Adagio. Often its duration is much longer than the first movement (for example, in the Eighth Symphony it has 304 bars!) and contains the most sincere, deep, heartfelt pages of Bruckner’s music. In contrast, elemental forces rage in the scherzo (the prototype is the scherzo of Beethoven's Ninth); their demonic impulse is set off by an idyllic trio, with echoes of the ländler or waltz. The extreme movements (sometimes the Adagio) are written in sonata form and are full of acute conflict. But if the first is presented more compactly, with a laconic development, then in the finale the architectural harmony is disrupted: Bruckner sought to summarize the entire content of the work and often drew on themes from other parts for this.
The problem of the finale - generally one of the most difficult in the ideological and artistic solution of a symphonic cycle - was difficult for Bruckner. He interpreted it as the dramatic center of the symphony (Mahler followed him in this) with its constant result - glorification in the code of joy and light of being. But the heterogeneity of images, the huge range of feelings did not lend themselves to purposeful presentation, which often gave rise to looseness of form and kaleidoscopic change of episodes. Feeling this shortcoming, he reworked his compositions several times, listening with his characteristic modesty to the advice of friendly conductors. Thus, his students I. Schalk and F. Löwe, wanting to bring Bruckner’s creations closer to modern perception, made many changes to their scores, especially to the instrumentation, during the composer’s lifetime. These changes, however, distorted the original style of Bruckner's symphonies; Nowadays they are performed in the author's original version.
Anton Bruckner: Symphony 7. To the 189th anniversary of the great composer.
Tannhäuser: Today, on the birthday of the Great Austrian composer, I offer another, perhaps his best symphony... The Seventh... From the first minutes it completely captures the listener and does not let go until the end of the last movement... And it plays for more than an hour.. .But whoever loves symphonic music receives the greatest pleasure from this creation...I listen to the Seventh all the time...More often - in sad minutes, hours, days...Music adds a little lightness to thoughts and feelings even in the most difficult moments of life... I know...
Below are texts with a brief biography of the composer and a description of the features of one of his symphonic masterpieces. See you later...
Orchestra composition: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 4 tenor tubas, bass tuba, timpani, triangle, cymbals, strings.
History of creation
The Seventh Symphony was created during the years 1881-1883. On July 26, 1882, in Bayreuth, where Wagner lived during these years, his last meeting took place with Bruckner, who admired the genius of the great opera reformer. Bruckner was hospitably received at the Wahnfried Villa and attended the premiere of Parsifal, the maestro’s last opera.
The music of Parsifal made such an impression on the exalted Austrian composer that he knelt before its creator. Wagner, in turn, highly appreciated Bruckner's work, promised him to perform all of his symphonies. This was a colossal joy for the composer, who was not at all spoiled by attention - his music was not recognized, considered too learned, long and formless. Critics, especially the then all-powerful E. Hanslick, literally destroyed Bruckner. Therefore, one can imagine what a joy Wagner’s promise was for him. Perhaps this was reflected in the music of the first movement, filled with radiant joy.
However, this noble plan was not destined to come true. In the midst of work on the second part of the symphony, the adagio, on February 14, 1883, coming to classes at the conservatory as usual, Bruckner learned of Wagner’s death. The composer dedicated this adagio to his memory - one of the most amazing in depth and beauty. His experiences are captured in this amazing music, the last few dozen bars of which were written immediately after receiving the tragic news. “I reached this point when a dispatch arrived from Venice, and then for the first time I composed truly mournful music in memory of the master,” Bruckner wrote in one of his letters. In the summer, the composer went to Bayreuth to venerate the grave of the man whom he revered so deeply (Wagner is buried in the park of the Villa Wahnfried).
The composer completed the seventh symphony on September 5, 1883. At first, the musicians did not accept it, like all previous Bruckner symphonies. Only after detailed explanations from the author regarding the form of the finale did conductor G. Levy risk performing it.
The premiere of the symphony took place on December 30, 1884 in Leipzig under the baton of Arthur Nikisch and was received quite controversially, although some critics wrote that Bruckner towers above other composers as a giant. Only after the performance of the Seventh in Munich under the baton of Levi did Bruckner become a triumphant man. The symphony was enthusiastically greeted by the audience. In the press one could read that its author was comparable to Beethoven himself. The triumphal march of the symphony began on the symphonic stages of Europe. Thus came the belated recognition of Bruckner as a composer.
Music
The first movement begins with Bruckner's favorite technique - a barely audible string tremolo. Against its background, a melody sounds, flowing widely and freely from cellos and violas, capturing a huge range in its chant - the main theme of the sonata allegro.
It is interesting that, according to the composer, it appeared to him in a dream - he dreamed that a friend came from Linz and dictated the melody, adding: “Remember, this theme will bring you happiness!” The side performance of oboe and clarinet, accompanied by shimmering chords of horns and trumpet, is fragile and transparent, subtly changeable, imbued with the spirit of romantic quests, leading to the appearance of the third image (the final part) - folk dance, imbued with elemental power. In development, calm at first, the color gradually thickens, a struggle ensues, and a gigantic wave of pressure occurs, engulfing the reprise. The result is summed up only in the coda, where the main theme is established in the jubilant sound of bright fanfares.
The second part is unique. This mournful and at the same time courageous music is one of the deepest and most soulful adagios in the world, the greatest rise of Bruckner’s genius.
The two themes of the adagio are completely limitless in extent. They amaze with the broadest breath. The first one sounds mournful and concentrated first from a quartet of tenor, otherwise called Wagnerian, tubas, then it is picked up and sung by strings, the melody rises higher and higher, reaches a climax and falls. The second theme enters, affectionate, as if soothing, consoling in grief. If the first one was four-beat, in the rhythm of a slow march, now it is replaced by a smooth waltz movement. Music takes you to a dream world. These themes alternate again, creating the form of a two-theme rondo. From severe sorrow, the music gradually moves to light sadness, peace, and then an ecstatic climax in bright C major, affirming the transformed first theme. But it’s as if a dark curtain suddenly falls: a quintet of tubas sounds darkly, like an epitaph to Wagner. The theme quoted by the composer from his “Te Deum”, completed in the same year as the Seventh, unfolds mournfully - the mournful melody “Non confiindar”. The exclamations of the horns sound like bursting sobs. But in the last bars of the movement, the first theme sounds enlightened - like reconciliation with loss.
M. Čiurlionis "Scherzo"
The third movement is a powerful scherzo like Beethoven, permeated with bright fanfares and the rhythms of fiery mass dance. The endless whirling figuration of the strings resembles a fantastic round dance. It is cut through by the call of a trumpet - laconic, rhythmically clear. According to the composer, its prototype was the crow of a rooster. The music seems to be full of exuberant fun. But this is not joy - the fun is ominous, it seems like a satanic grin. The trio is transparent, easily serene, idyllic. The unpretentious song melody is led by violins, surrounded by transparent echoes, replaced by the playing of woodwinds. Everything is imbued with purity, freshness, chastity. The reprise of the three-part form falls in a rapid stream, returning to the images of the beginning of the scherzo.
The first, main theme of the bright, heroic finale is a modification of the theme of the first part. Here, in the sound of violins, accompanied by a continuous tremolo, it takes on the features of an energetic march. The secondary one is a restrained chorale, also in the violins, accompanied by pizzicato bass. This is also a march, but slowed down - more like a procession. The final theme, in which the intonations of the main theme are transformed, is powerful and proud. Now the whole orchestra sounds in ponderous unisons.
These three images are intertwined and develop in a gigantic development, in which a terrible, intense struggle takes place, like a struggle between good and evil, between hellish forces and the forces of angelic armies. In the reprise, the three main themes are played in reverse order, leading to a vibrant, triumphant climax in the coda. The opening theme of the symphony merges here with the main theme of the finale. The march, the movement of which permeated the entire finale, becomes a joyful, enthusiastic hymn.
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“I know only one who comes close to Beethoven, and that is Bruckner.” The words spoken by Richard Wagner in 1882 were perceived as a paradox: Bruckner, on the threshold of his 60th birthday, the author of “strange”, “huge” symphonies (almost never performed), was perceived by his contemporaries as a shy, simple-minded eccentric with naive views. Only years later, after A. Nikisch's triumphant performance of the Seventh Symphony, did Bruckner gain widespread recognition.
The name of Anton Bruckner is well known to music lovers all over the world. An outstanding Austrian composer, organist and teacher, he lived a difficult life, receiving well-deserved recognition only in his later years. Bruckner's symphonies, created in the last thirty years of his life and waiting for a long time for their performance, had a significant influence on the development of European symphony in the 19th century. Today they have entered the golden fund of world symphonic literature and have become an adornment of the repertoire of the best orchestras in the world.
He was born in a small Austrian village, studied at a monastery teacher's school, in his youth served for a long time as a village school teacher, then received the position of organist - first in a monastery, then, finally, in the cathedral of the small town of Linz. All these years he continuously studied, improving as an organist, diligently studying the secrets of the composer's craft.
In 1868, the First Symphony and one of the masses, created shortly before, were successfully performed in Linz. Finally, his old dream came true - he left the province and moved to Vienna (at that time he was forty-five years old). The most fruitful and, at the same time, the most bleak time of his life began. One after another, his grandiose symphonies were born - from the Second to the Ninth, but they were not in demand by the public. The Second and Third Symphonies were performed relatively quickly; but the Second was only unsuccessful, and the Third failed. From now on, any conductor risked including Bruckner's works in his concert programs. The composer had to wait for years, or even decades, for the performance of his symphonies, and he never heard some of them - for example, the Fifth.
In Vienna he is a stranger, and remained alone until the end of his days. No close friends, no sensitive and devoted interpreters, no reliable patrons, no faithful students. Only a small handful of fans - representatives of musical youth - from whom, in essence, little could change in the fate of him and his works.
Fame and recognition came to him, but, alas, too late. In 1881, Hans Richter successfully performed the Fourth Symphony (it is still one of Bruckner's most repertoire symphonies). Then followed - mostly foreign (Vienna is still deaf to him) - performances of others: the Third, the Seventh...
The last two symphonies - the Eighth and Ninth, Bruckner's most monumental works - were created at a time of rapidly approaching old age. He was no longer able to finish the ninth - for the last two years he had been working on the finale, and this work was interrupted by death.
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Part 49 - Anton Bruckner: Symphony 7. To the 189th anniversary of the great composer.
Bruckner is not yet a well-known great symphonist of the Wagnerian era. Occasional and rare performances of individual works of his are not capable of facilitating the penetration of his music into our musical environment, especially since he is one of those composers whose acquaintance cannot be fleeting and transient, while a thorough mastery of his music requires leisure and attention. However, the music of Brahms, Bruckner’s contemporary and rival, was equally slow to seep into our concert programs, but time has taken its toll and now few people shy away from Brahms’ works.
The life of a modest and reserved composer like Bruckner was very simple. He was born on September 4, 1824 in Ansfelden (Upper Austria). He was the son of a school teacher. As a boy, he sang in the choir and at the same time studied at one of the church institutions, like a seminary - St. Floriana. There he later became an organist. In 1856, through a competition, he took the same position in Linz. Working a lot on his own, Bruckner created himself into a first-class organist and contrapuntist. Nevertheless, in the sixties he continued to study technique with Sechter in Vienna, after whose death he took his place as court organist and was invited as professor of organ playing, harmony, counterpoint and the practice of musical composition at the Vienna Conservatory
(1867). From 1875 he was a lecturer in music at the University of Vienna. He traveled widely as an organist and improviser in his homeland and abroad. He wrote his First Symphony in 1865. In his aspirations, Bruckner gravitated toward the progressive trends of his era, mainly Wagner.
Bruckner's Seventh Symphony in E major is one of the most famous and beloved in Europe among his nine symphonies. For entering the world of the composer's ideas, for the first acquaintance with his music - elementally majestic - this symphony is extremely suitable: its rich melody, plasticity of themes and clarity of development of thoughts attract an unprejudiced listener and call for further penetration into the free creativity of a wonderful, profound musician. The symphony was completed in 1883. Her first three performances: in Leipzig (1884, Ikisch), in Munich (1885, Levi) and in Vienna (1886, Richter) created her popularity. It turned out to be almost the first of Bruckner's symphonies that forced musicians and the public to pay due attention to the great composer.
The best movements of the Seventh Symphony are the first and second (the famous Adagio). In the first movement, from the first bars - from the presentation of the melodically rich main theme - to the end, the music does not lose for a moment its beautiful and convincing fullness of expression, its clarity. Lyrical pathos, seriousness, noble melodiousness and a sincere warm tone constitute the inherently valuable qualities of the slow movement of the symphony. Bruckner always excels with his Adagios. True, in our busy and nervously hasty times it is not easy to focus attention on their free and completely unhurried step, but anyone who would like to penetrate this world of inexhaustible music, which does not know feeble-mindedness and thrifty consideration, will not lose their leisure time in vain. Bruckner, like Schubert, managed to connect the innocence and naivety of the lyrical narrative with the seriousness of the music, and the involuntary melodic flow with the organic nature of creativity as a whole, so that the most seemingly ingenuous and simple thought is born, grows and fades away always as a phase, as a series of states or manifestations of some kind of unity, and does not feel like a randomly run-in or lonely tortured melody. Just like Schubert, Bruckner combines lyrical intimacy with deep insight, sensitivity and humanity, thanks to which his lyrics lose the imprint of personal arbitrariness and invention and become necessary and useful to everyone. In a word, Bruckner does not have that unhealthy bias that makes modern musicians turn away from any acutely subjective emotionality.
In his music, the voice of sincere feeling sings and a romantically spontaneous, bright and noble emotional tone sounds. This property now attracts to him, as well as to Schubert, many people whose perception of life, it would seem, does not correspond to such “slow” music. Modernity, however, prefers the epic-emotional structure of the symphonism of Schubert and Bruckner to the sensual violence of Wagnerism. As a wise thinker, Bruckner does not force the will of others and does not suppress the imagination with sensual images, but as a romantic, he deeply feels the voice of feeling and, loving Wagner, often immerses himself in the atmosphere of the latter’s music, purifying and enlightening it. General words about Bruckner’s slavish dependence on Wagner must be left aside. They don't explain anything. In the end, Mozart also “depended” on the Italians in his time.
The scherzos of Bruckner's symphonies, being saturated with Viennese dance rhythms and the idyllic lyrics of Viennese folk genre scenes, have much in common with Schubert's scherzos, but in the development of basic ideas they sometimes come into contact with Beethoven's. Following the intense first movement and deeply contemplative Adagio, Bruckner's scherzos somewhat lose their meaning, for they seem too simple in form after such intense music. This should be kept in mind when perceiving them.
As for Brookier's finales, almost each of them provides a new and always interesting solution to the problem of the end or completion of a lyrical-epic symphony. They also amaze with the generosity of their music and the freedom of their creative imagination. Their lack is in the breadth of their design and the boundlessness of their imagination, which interferes with the concentration of thoughts. In addition, when perceiving Bruckner’s monumental symphonies, the listeners’ attention to the finale is already so tired that it is difficult to follow the composer and remember the entire course of “events”, connecting all parts of the symphony stage by stage and combining them with the magnificently unfolding final “movement”. Of course, this kind of deficiency does not at all detract from the value of the music itself. The finale of the Seventh Symphony, in this regard, turns out to be quite easy to comprehend and embrace, worthily closing and uniting the entire symphonic action.
Bruckner's Eighth Symphony (C minor) 59 was completed in 1886. This work, gigantic in scope and depth of thinking, is saturated from beginning to end with bright and rich music, which reflects an intense sense of life and a wealth of emotional experiences. The four parts of the symphony are four phases of soundoid development, four life stages. The drama and sternly passionate pathos of the first movement is tempered by the whimsically moving play of chiaroscuro and the tender lyrics of the scherzo trio. The center of the symphony is the Adagio, the most beautiful in its nobility and tenderness of feeling. It stands out even among the wonderful slow movements of Bruckner's other symphonies for its fiery melodiousness. The ending is a colossal concept; by the nature of the music, it contains a solemn, majestic procession and an ecstatic powerful hymn, worthily completing and uniting all previous development. Overall, this is a proud, courageously heroic work, boldly and powerfully asserting its place in the world of ideas. The difficulty of perceiving the Eighth Symphony lies in the breadth of its plans, the heaviness of its presentation and the length of the sound stream. But at the same time, the clarity and plasticity of themes, the calm alternation of thoughts, the dismemberment (even overly emphasized) of movement and the leisurely pace of all the music facilitate its assimilation, if not as a whole, then gradually, step by step from one stage to another, forward to the finale , which is constructed in such a way that it truly is the pinnacle of the ascent and connects in a grandiose scope everything that is felt and experienced during the symphony. A struggle, a round dance of ideas, a passionate soulful song and an enthusiastic hymn - along this path, the listener’s consciousness experiences diverse and deep shocks, submitting to the emotions instilled in the music by the will of the great composer, the intensity of emotions and the power of whose creative imagination is difficult to even imagine. In this symphony, the range of Bruckner’s feelings is striking: the most tender tenderness of melodic themes and the lyricism of moods, it would seem, the limit of touching life in an intimate and contemplative plane is only one sphere of Bruckner’s symphony, and the other pole, no less intensely exciting, is healthy, proudly militant, self-confident music of power and strength, two principles that ensure the right to life and victory over everything that interferes with it. Both spheres are embodied with equal conviction. And when you leaf through the score of the symphony, you want to reduce its entire meaning, all the shades of movement and dynamics to two: calm and restraint in strength and boundless tenderness in affection.
Bruckner's importance is increasing more and more. The literature about him is becoming more interesting and deeper. The best proof of this is the latest major work of Ernst Kurt. A series of musical festivals dedicated to Bruckner in 1920, 1921 and 1924, cyclical performances of all his symphonies, new editions of his works contributed and continue to contribute to the popularity of his music in Germany and Austria.
Thus, the 20th century makes amends for the great injustice done to Bruckner by his contemporaries during his lifetime. No wonder. Living at the same time as Wagner and Brahms, the modest Bruckner, in essence, stood ahead of both of them. He was more relevant than Brahms in his understanding and implementation of Viennese classicism, and wiser than Wagner in his symphonic construction and in his sublime worldview and contemplation.
Joseph Anton Bruckner was born on September 4, 1824 in Ansfeld in Upper Austria. His grandfather was a teacher in this city near Linz. Anton's father also worked as a teacher. In 1823 he married Therese Helm from Styria, who bore him eleven children, of whom six died at an early age. Josef Anton is the first-born and most famous of the Bruckner family.
From an early age the boy showed a love for music. At the age of four, little Anton played several church melodies on the violin, which delighted the local priest. He liked singing lessons at school, and for the same reason the boy loved to attend church, where his mother, who had a beautiful voice, sang in the choir. The father noticed the boy's abilities, and he often began to give up his place at the organ to his son. The fact is that at that time, a part-time teacher also had to play the organ in church, as well as teach the elementary fundamentals of music. At the age of eleven, Anton was sent to study with his godfather Johann Baptist Weiss, a school teacher and organist. The boy learned harmony from a highly musically educated master and improved his skills in playing the organ. At Weiss, Bruckner first tried to improvise on the organ. Subsequently, Anton reached the highest level of skill in this genre, delighting the whole of Europe.
However, his father’s illness and the family’s difficult financial situation forced Anton to complete his studies a year later. He took over the duties of organist and began playing the violin at weddings and dances. Six months later, my father died. With the death of his father, Anton's childhood also ended. His mother begged him to accept Anton into the church choir.
After two years of singing in a church choir, Bruckner’s voice began to mutate, and he was taken on as an assistant by the monastery organist Anton Kattinger, whom his contemporaries called only “the Beethoven of the organ.” Playing an organist remained one of the best memories of Bruckner's youth. Under the guidance of this master, Anton soon began to play the large organ of the monastery, which was considered the second largest organ after St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.
Since Anton wanted to become a teacher, like his ancestors, he was sent to “preparatory courses” at the Main School in Linz, where in the fall the boy successfully passed the entrance exams.
Ten months later he successfully passed the final exam. The main thing is that he plunged into the musical life of Linz. By a happy coincidence, the preparatory courses were taught by the famous musicologist Durnberger. About his book “Elementary Textbook of Harmony and Grand Bass” the composer would later say: “This book made me what I am now.” With Dürnberger, he improves his playing of the organ and becomes acquainted with the works of Haydn and Mozart.
After his final exams in August 1841, young Bruckner became an assistant teacher in the small town of Vin-dhaag near the Czech border. Two years later, Anton takes up the position of teacher in Kronsdorf. The village was even smaller than the previous one, but nearby was the city of Styria, which had the second largest organ in Upper Austria. Of even greater importance was the acquaintance and friendship with Cenetti, the organist and regent of the cathedral of another town located nearby - Enns. Anton visited the cathedral three times a week, not only to continue his studies of playing the organ, but also to expand his knowledge of music theory. Cenetti introduced him not only to Bach's chorales, but also to the heritage of the Viennese classics.
On September 2, Bruckner was appointed teacher at the monastery school of St. Florian, where he had previously sung in the choir. Anton spent ten years here. Soon his most famous youthful work, Requiem in D minor, dedicated to young and unrequited love, Aloysia Bogner, appears.
In 1851 Bruckner became the permanent organist of the monastery. But Anton is not only concerned about music, but also about material well-being. A poor childhood was the reason that he was afraid of poverty all his life. During those same years, another problem emerged that affected his entire life, namely, daydreaming and unrequited feelings for young girls.
By luck, in November 1855, a position as an organist became available at Linz Cathedral. Dürnberger immediately sent Bruckner to the cathedral for an audition, and on November 14 a test of candidates took place, during which Bruckner showed himself to the commission to be the most capable, which allowed him to temporarily take the place of organist.
During the next ten years spent in Linz, Bruckner worked intensively and diligently. This was especially true for the study of music theory, to which he devoted up to seven hours a day, sacrificing his free time and health.
In the winter of 1863, Bruckner became acquainted with the music of Wagner and after that he dared to allow deviations from classical harmony in his work. He dreamed about this for a long time, but did not dare before. Personal acquaintance with Wagner took place on May 18, 1865 in Munich during the first performance of Tristan and Isolde. Despite the difference in character, both were innovators in music and discovered a kindred spirit.
Unfortunately, Bruckner's health soon deteriorated so much that he was forced to see doctors. He spent almost the entire summer of 1867 undergoing treatment at a hydropathic clinic in Bad Kreuzen. His letters from that period indicate an extremely depressed state of mind, and that he had thoughts of suicide. His friends were afraid to leave Bruckner alone. By September, the composer had recovered and was able to confirm to the directorate of the Vienna Conservatory his intention to take the vacant position. In the time remaining before the start of classes, he completed work on the score of the last of his three masses - “Great Mass No. 3 in F minor.”
In April 1869, on the occasion of the opening of the Church of St. Epvre in Nancy, the best organists in Europe performed. Bruckner's success was overwhelming, and he received an invitation to perform in front of a select audience at Notre-Dame de Paris. Two years later, his performances in England were triumphant.
Along with his activities as an organist and music theory teacher, Bruckner never stopped composing. The fame of the works he created back in Linz, and, above all, the first three masses and the First Symphony, reached Vienna. Each of Bruckner's nine symphonies is different from the others and has its own unique destiny. Thus, the musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic declared the Second Symphony unperformable. The third symphony is usually called “heroic,” but the musicians of that time only mocked it; the audience left the hall during the premiere before the performance ended. The fourth symphony was written by Bruckner in 1884-1885 and is called “Romantic”. Its premiere was quite successful. But only after the creation of the Eighth Symphony, written in 1887 under the impression of Wagner’s “Parsifal,” did fate become more favorable to the composer. The work was an incredible success when performed by the orchestra led by Arthur Nikita in Leipzig. ANTON Bruckner was immediately declared the greatest symphonist of his time, the Eighth Symphony was popularly called “the crown of music of the 19th century.”
Let us return, however, to 1871. Returning to his homeland, Bruckner was in a difficult financial situation for many years. Therefore, he was very happy when, on January 3, 1878, he finally received the long-awaited position of court organist in Vienna, which he then occupied until the summer of 1892. This position gave him an additional 800 guilders per year.
In December 1878, Bruckner composed the Violin Quintet in F major, the second chamber work after the Violin Quartet written in 1862. This quintet is sometimes compared to Beethoven's last quartets.
In May 1881, Bruckner literally composed Te Deum, perhaps his best work, in just a week. However, the highest Viennese music officials prevented the performance of his creation in concert halls. These were echoes of the struggle between the Wagnerians, to whom Bruckner was classified, and the Brahmins, followers of Brahms. That is why his music was enthusiastically received in Germany and not too favored in Austria. It is not surprising that Bruckner's greatest triumph awaited him ten years later in Berlin, where his Te Deum was performed on May 31, 1891. Witnesses to this triumph unanimously noted that no composer had ever been greeted as much as Bruckner.
During the last five years of his life, Bruckner worked almost exclusively on the Ninth Symphony. Sketches and individual episodes of it appeared already in 1887-1889, but from April 1891 he completely devoted himself to working on this symphony. The composer died on October 11, 1896, without finishing the Ninth Symphony.
1. ...who laughs last
Bruckner's peasant nature did not accept metropolitan fashion in any way. As a professor at the conservatory, he continued to wear peasant-style loose black suits with extremely short trousers (he explained this by the convenience of playing the foot-operated keyboard of the organ), and a large blue handkerchief always stuck out of his jacket pocket. On his head, the professor of music still wore a peasant hat with a drooping brim.
Colleagues made fun of Bruckner, students laughed at him... One of his friends once said:
- Dear maestro, let me tell you with all sincerity that your costume is simply ridiculous...
“Well, then laugh,” Bruckner answered good-naturedly. - But let me no less frankly remind you that I did not come here to demonstrate the latest fashion...
2. don't rush
A certain Zellner, secretary of the Society of Friends of Music, extremely disliked Bruckner, in whom he saw his most dangerous competitor.
Trying in every possible way to annoy the new professor, Zellner did not limit himself to speaking derogatorily about him everywhere.
- This Bruckner as an organist is a complete nonentity! - he asserted.
But this was not enough: during Bruckner’s classes with students, Zellner defiantly turned off the lights in the classroom or turned on the siren in the next room. And once he “friendly” advised the composer:
- It would be better if you threw all your symphonies into a landfill and earned your living by playing the organ...
To this Bruckner replied:
“I would gladly follow your advice, dear Mr. Zellner, but I still want to trust not you, but history, which, I am sure, will decide more impartially.” I suspect that indeed one of the two of us will certainly end up in the dustbin of musical history, but is it worth it in such a hurry? Who will find their place there is not up to you or me to decide. Let descendants figure this out...
3. in our village...
Until the end of his life, Bruckner remained a rustic, simple-minded man. Having once attended a concert in which his Fourth Symphony was performed, the composer approached the famous conductor Hans Richter and, wanting to sincerely thank him, took a thaler out of his pocket and, thrusting it into the hands of the dumbfounded conductor, said:
- Have a glass of beer for my health, thank you very much!..
In his home village, this is how they thanked the master for his good work.
The next day, Professor Richter took Bruckner's thaler to a jeweler, who soldered a silver ear to it, and the famous conductor always carried it with him on a watch chain. Thaler became for him a precious reminder of his meeting with the author of the symphony, which, as he firmly believed, was destined to live for centuries...
4. three symphonies are not enough...
From a village boy singer, Bruckner became a professor at the Vienna Conservatory and was awarded an honorary doctorate. In his personal life, the successes of the withdrawn, unsociable musician were much more modest. When, already at the age of fifty, he was asked why he was not married, the composer replied:
- Where can I find time? After all, first I must compose my Fourth Symphony!
