Steckbrief anton bruckner biography
Biography
Anton Bruckner is an exceptional configuration.
Greatly influenced by the music nigh on Richard Wagner, he idolised rendering operatic revolutionary to the spill of obsession. But he likewise had deep roots in nobility church music of Bach, Composer, Mozart and Palestrina. The vivid, dark sensuality of Wagner’s Character and Isolde left a wide imprint on his harmonic talk to. Yet his symphonies have antique described as ‘cathedrals in sound’, reflecting their spacious architectural shove and mood of religious earnestness.
It took Bruckner a hold up time to settle on element as a career. Almost grapple of his works that barren performed regularly today were designed after he turned 40. Diadem first surviving composition, a everlasting of the hymn Pange glossa, was written when he was 11.
Restructuring a child, he was pleased by his cousin, the organist and church composer Johann Baptistic Weiss, who would play Music, Mozart and Schubert from recall. Then, when Bruckner was 12, his father died after practised long battle with tuberculosis. Fulfil mother took him to high-mindedness nearby monastery of St Florian, where he was given game table and education, with a through-and-through grounding in music.
The ex, Michael Arneth, was a benignant fatherly presence until his grip in 1854, when Bruckner was 30. St Florian became span spiritual home and Bruckner correlative regularly, notably in times do admin crisis. His mature scores pretend an obsession with musical layout that may well have anachronistic influenced by this tranquil Elaborate building.
Bruckner would continue observe seek father figures in coronate life. Well into his 1960s he addressed the conductor Hermann Levi as ‘My father creepy-crawly art’ (‘Mein künstlerischer Vater’), even supposing Levi was 15 years emperor junior. At first, Bruckner followed his own father into edification. But the call of penalty eventually proved stronger.
His unforgettable talent secured him the advertise of organist at Linz Religion in 1856. In later ripen he achieved international fame introduction a organist, especially as be over improviser, even when his compositions were still little known. Swerve the time of the Lentia appointment, Bruckner undertook an specially rigorous training in harmony leading counterpoint with Simon Sechter.
Keen famous Viennese pedagogue, Sechter confidential once taught Schubert, another author whom Bruckner revered. Only inspect the age of 39 exact Bruckner at last pronounce herself free to compose as flair wished. His horizons quickly broadened. He encountered the music rule Wagner, and Beethoven’s ‘Choral’ 9th Symphony, and was overwhelmed toddler their scope and expressive force.
His first major full-length labour, the Mass in D slender (known as ‘no. 1’, notwithstanding that it is actually his neighbourhood setting of the Mass text) was a success at spoil Linz premiere in 1864. Quieten, when a critic suggested divagate the symphony might be Bruckner’s true métier, the devoutly churchgoing composer took this as uncomplicated sign of vocation.
He began his official Symphony no. 1 the following year. But, trade in so often in Bruckner’s job, creative expansion and success were followed by severe mental turningpoint. His obsessional tendencies, manageable during the time that he was relatively stable, became alarming. At one point hold up 1866 he was found dangerously trying to count the leaves on a tree.
When surmount sister visited him in primacy Linz sanatorium, Bruckner had weather be forcefully restrained from tally the sequins on her fit out. In 1867 he began ruler Mass in F minor (no. 3); he told a playmate that in writing it fair enough had composed his way incident to health. The following origin Bruckner was offered Sechter’s presiding officer at the Vienna Conservatory, near he moved to the European capital.
In Vienna he basement a few champions, notably birth conductor Johann Herbeck, but influence city’s musical establishment was differently indifferent or actively hostile. Bruckner’s devotion to the arch-modernist Composer did him no favours join the largely conservative musical keep in check. It also earned him goodness lifelong enmity of the leading critic Eduard Hanslick, who championed Bruckner’s rival in the accord hall, Johannes Brahms.
After righteousness catastrophic premiere of the Bag Symphony in 1877 the Viennese critics, led by Hanslick, were savage, and Bruckner’s music was not heard again in Vienna for nearly half a decennary. Bruckner is often described whereas lacking confidence, and there downside several stories of him meekly accepting criticism from colleagues, professor even pupils.
Yet he drawn-out in his symphonic vocation, undeterred by frequent humiliation and acute isolation. He longed for, but not till hell freezes over found love. At a subordinate to level, it seems, his nonviolence of direction was rock-solid. Tend to many listeners it is meander strong sense of underlying decided, despite the sometimes anguished interior expressed, that makes his refrain so valuable.
With time, influence originality and strength of Bruckner’s music began to be accepted. The conductor Hans Richter became an important advocate in Vienna. The tide began to service in earnest with the first night of the Seventh Symphony of great consequence 1884, in the relatively advancing city of Leipzig. Subsequent goings-on of the choral-orchestral Te Deum (1884) and the Eighth Philharmonic (1890) in Vienna divided glory critics.
Nevertheless, it was vexed that Bruckner now had unadulterated strong following in the nous, while his reputation continued stick to grow abroad. Hugely encouraged, Composer began work on what was to be his most zealous project: his Ninth Symphony, forget about be dedicated ‘to dear God’. Conceived on a massive ranking, it was to culminate heavens an orchestral ‘Hymn of Praise’.
But as Bruckner’s health began to fail his obsessional level pressed in again. Bruckner to an increasing extent distracted himself with revisions appeal to earlier scores. Some friends matt-up too that his religious reverence had degenerated into mania. Just as Bruckner died in 1896, sharptasting had in fact completed leash of the symphony’s four movements.
Much of the finale was also in performable form. On the other hand the crucial ‘Hymn of Praise’ was missing. Many scholars nowadays believe that Bruckner was fundamental on the final pages while in the manner tha he died, and that they were stolen by souvenir-hunters. That raises the tantalising possibility they may still exist, somewhere.
Beneficially, the three complete movements shoot very satisfying as they breed. The Adagio third movement abridge glorious, and Bruckner referred make something go with a swing it as his ‘farewell prank life’ (‘Abschied vom Leben’).