MUSIC 427/627 Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Composer of nine symphonies
Very religious, and served as church organist, which gave some background for composition Like Brahms, Bruckner observed classical traits of the symphony, especially in terms of form; but where Brahms was more concise, Bruckner was more expansive; he was also devoted to Wagner (unlike Brahms) Bruckner’s Symphonies contain many traits in common: Almost all open with a string tremolo, followed by the Urthema ("primordial theme"), which is usually was triadic and establishes key of piece The Urthema is followed by a rhythmic idea which combines duple and triple: the “Bruckner Polyrhythm” The second key area usually contains 2 themes in counterpoint against each other: a Gesangsperiode (“song period”) Bruckner frequently used successive rhythmic diminutions Fourth movements (finales) often have these characteristics too Other Wagnerian traits: Great expansion (long movements). Free dissonance and chromatic chord progressions at times (alternating with very classically-conceived chord progressions) Bruckner frequently revised his symphonies at the urging of friends, and after his death further revisions were made; these diluted his style and authenticity Example: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major (1873; final rev. 1889; 2 other interim versions by Bruckner; another in 1954) First movement Typical opening: Urthema over tremolo; then theme with "Bruckner Polyrhythm" Second Key area has two melodies in counterpoint Gesangsperiode Scherzo (movement. 3): hybrid: combination of ABA scherzo form and sonata-allegro. Very developmental:
ABA (scherzo) - Dev. - ABA||: Trio :||trio devel. - trio - ABA
This makes much more developmental scheme than is typical of 19th c Scherzos
This movement also has duple-plus-triple rhythms Fourth movement: has similar features to first movement but with different themes Instead of tremolo, there is an ostinato