Anton Bruckner 1824 – 1896
This composer has been praised by Richard Wagner as being ‛the only composer who could measure up to Beethoven.’ Anton Bruckner was born in Ansfelden, Austria. Although he appeared to have great musical ability as a child, his first aspirations were not directed at going into the field of music. Wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps, he became a school teacher at the St. Florian monastery near the city of Linz. It was there, having once been a pupil himself, that he indirectly started his musical career. Part of his teaching duties included playing the organ.
During this time, he became quite fascinated with music and pursued several disciplines. It was not until 1855 that he applied for the position of organist at the cathedral of Linz, Austria. Even at this time, he was quite unsure of the decision to make a living solely from music alone and was greatly persuaded to apply for the job. Surely enough, his application was successful and he was a full blown professional musician.
Although his work in Linz took up a great deal of his time, he sought out lessons in counterpoint and harmony with Simon Sechter by means of a correspondence course at the Vienna Conservatory. Subsequently, in 1861, he graduated with honours. At his final examination, one of his examiners, astounded by his ability, remarked that Bruckner should have judged them.
Only seven years later, Anton Bruckner became professor at the Vienna Conservatory, thereby leaving his organist position in Linz. To make the decision to change jobs was a difficult thing for him to decide. He enjoyed a great deal of security as cathedral organist. It was not until the Vienna Conservatory said that his salary would be much higher that he decided to take up the professorship.
Bruckner wrote a great deal of sacred music, yet was most noted for his symphonies. His pieces were very long and rich in polyphony(*-Music arranged in parts for several voices or instruments. )It is an interesting fact that his symphonies at the time were regarded as wild and unplayable. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra refused to play his works on account of this. Bruckner then allowed revisions and cuts to his compositions. This led to the attack of his pieces by a famous music critic, Eduard Hanslick, due to their inconsistency. Not until the present day have they started to play his works in their original form.
The one composer that always supported him had been Richard Wagner. This was much appreciated and for this reason, following Wagner’s death, Bruckner dedicated the Adagio from his Seventh Symphony to his memory. It was this very work which brought his music into light of the international community and finally received the recognition it deserved. His Eighth Symphony was not received quite as well, yet the first 3 movements of his Ninth Symphony are truly his most spectacular. It is such a pity that this great man was not capable of finishing it before his death in 1896.
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