Anton Bruckner Michael Haydn Motets MDR LEIPZIG RADIO CHOIR PHILIPP AHMANN MOTETS Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) 1 Graduale: Locus iste, WAB 23 (1869) 3. 07 2 Offertorium: Inveni David, WAB 19 (1868) (with 4 trombones) 2. 42 3 Graduale: Christus factus est, WAB 11 (1884) 5. 39 4 Offertorium: Afferentur regi, WAB 1 (1861) (with 3 trombones) 1. 55 5 Hymnus: Pange lingua, WAB 33 (1868) 5. 02 6 Graduale: Os justi, WAB 30 (1879) 4. 23 7 Motette: Ave Maria, WAB 6 (1861) 3. 33 8 Hymnus: Vexilla regis, WAB 51 (1892) 4. 47 9 Graduale: Virga Jesse, WAB 52 (1885) 4. 12 Johann Michael Haydn (1737-1806) 10 Graduale: Christus factus est (from: In Coena Domini ad Missam), MH 628,2 4. 26 (1796) 11 O vos omnes (from: Responsoria in Sabbato Sancto), MH 278,5 (1778) 2. 39 MDR Leipzig Radio Choir (MDR-Rundfunkchor) 12 Ecce quomodo moritur justus (MH deest) 6. 56 13 Graduale: Christus factus est, MH 38 (1761) 4. 43 Sebastian Krause, Eckart Wiegräbe, Uwe Gebel*, Fernando Günther: trombones 14 Salve Regina (MH deest) 3. 35 * track 2 only 15 Tenebrae factae sunt, MH 162 (1772) 4. 02 Total playing time: 61. 52 conducted by Philipp Ahmann Michael Haydn & Anton Bruckner Similarities do indeed only reveal language Missa solemnis) and vernacular from the Italian baroque and the Viennese themselves at a second glance, but then hymns, in keeping with the intentions of Classics and — last but not least — One may wonder what’s the logic behind all the more emphatically. If we look at the Enlightened liturgical reform during Michael Haydn. And just like the older bringing together a cappella choral music the respective composers’ biographies, the the reign of Habsburg Emperor Joseph composer, Bruckner — as a Linz cathedral by Michael Haydn and Anton Bruckner on realm of their professional activities and II. In the later eighteenth and well into organist — remained under the spell an album. Both spheres seem to be too far the history of their works, the undeniable the nineteenth century, he (rather than of church officials. At least at first. The removed from each other. On the one hand, parallel is particularly striking. Haydn his famous brother) thus became a dominance of sacred music in Bruckner’s we have the (supposedly) conservative and Bruckner were socialised in the same style-defining figure for the character of early oeuvre, which, incidentally, shows the “pre-Classical” composer who — according sphere of traditional Austrian-Danubian “popular” Austrian church music, which aforementioned influences very clearly, to popular opinion to this day — could Catholicism and were deeply influenced developed relatively independently from can be explained by this biographical not compete with his incomparably more by it, artistically as well as personally. Italian operatic models. background: Bruckner was a church famous older brother Joseph. On the other, Michael Haydn spent more or less his composer before becoming a symphonist. there is a genius of High Romanticism, entire professional life in the service of It was in precisely this musical environment And he remained a deeply religious who defined the course of the symphony the church: In 1760, at the age of 23, he that the young Bruckner matured into composer in his own right; the range of in the nineteenth and twentieth century became Kapellmeister to the bishop of a musician. From 1837 on — when he his 40 or so a cappella and accompanied with his significant output. Where could Großwardein (today: Oradea in Romania), was 13 years old — he was trained at the motets spans from the early days to 1892, there possibly be any common ground? The court composer to the archbishop and Augustinian monastery Sankt Florian when he composed his Vexilla regis. popularity of the music is another external prince-bishop of Salzburg in 1763, and near Linz, where he first worked as a indicator of this difference in reception: cathedral organist in 1782 (as Mozart’s choirboy, then as an assistant teacher As one would expect, a comparison Bruckner motets such as Locus iste, Ave successor). Obviously a large part of his at the primary school, and finally as between Michael Haydn’s a cappella Maria and Christus factus est are familiar oeuvre consists of sacred works – in the an organist from 1848 until 1855. The works (there are comparatively few) to audiences beyond the narrow circle of strict sense of liturgical music. In addition repertoire he got to know during these and Bruckner’s output shows differences classical music experts, while very few could to 35 masses, Haydn wrote innumerable years is well documented thanks to Florian in personal style, as well as in aspects name a single work by Michael Haydn responsories, graduals, offertories and performance lists. It was dominated by that are specific to each epoch. Haydn’s belonging to the same genre. motets, as well as a Hochamt (German- church works by Palestrina, composers musical Catholicism made use of the 4 5 stylistic and expressive means available of Kunstreligion — just as, conversely, a Brucknerian in style, despite adhering to modulations, even Rückungen (seamless to him as part of a larger tradition, secular genre such as the symphony was the Caecilian purity laws (including his changes of key without modulation) that without them ever becoming a problem sacralised, also, and particularly so, in use of the Lydian mode). The idiom of his resemble a sudden change in the incidence for him. The early Christus factus est Bruckner’s case. This constellation was motets was created from the seamless of light through stained-glass church from his Großwardeiner period (MH inscribed in Bruckner’s motets — even fusion of different resources, without windows. 38), for example, is a smooth exercise in if they still had their world premieres ever adopting any individual influence polyphonic stile antico with imitative voices in a church setting, partly even in a too slavishly. Besides Michael Haydn, the So, in view of these differences, what and a treatment of dissonances typical of liturgical context. Their ardent tone, the following inspirations should be mentioned then is the alleged relationship between this style of composition. The Salve Regina painfully passionate immersion in every in this respect: Schubert’s sacred music Michael Haydn and Bruckner, how can is completely different, an intimately single thought conveyed by the words, (in which, for its part, Haydn still had it be detected in terms of substance accessible piece on a homophonic basis, the expressive, extremely dynamic and an impact; interestingly, the Viennese and the relationship between individual with songlike melodies, harmonized with powerful contrasts, the nirvana-like effect pedagogue Simon Sechter was Schubert’s works? Parameters such as dynamics “sweet” thirds and sixths and situated in a of sentences fading away towards the as well as Bruckner’s composition teacher), and harmony are obviously out of the harmonic framework that does not move end; they all serve to articulate an almost the Gregorian chorale, Palestrina, Venetian question for such a cross-examination. beyond main and dominant keys. existentialist religious conviction, without a double choruses, Baroque (less the Bach Rather, it was Haydn’s “tone”, the basic safety net. school, but rather that of the Viennese sonority of his music, the tinta, that had a Romanticism lost this “naivety” — even pope of counterpoint Johann Joseph Fux) stimulating effect on Bruckner and led, as if Bruckner’s personality and artistry Bruckner’s employment of tradition could and Viennese Classicism. Bruckner’s music it were, to an artistic conversation across undoubtedly had “naïve” traits. Towards not have the straightforward nature of frequently contains sections into which different eras. The later composer took the end of the nineteenth century, past generations. This is demonstrated traditional descending fifth sequences up the thread of his older colleague, but worship increasingly found itself cast by his complicated relationship to the seem to have been montaged. But all under changed conditions. As mentioned into a subjective private sphere, no stile antico variant of the nineteenth this takes place within the context of a above, both were familiar with the old longer supported and guaranteed by century, Caecilianism, which demanded harmonic language that has nothing to do vocal polyphony in the various forms of institutions. At the same time, the sacred a rather slavish imitation of Palestrina. A with the eighteenth century, a language the stile antico, in the sense that they fell prey to secularization under the sign stylistic copy such as the Os justi is clearly full of chromatic and enharmonic used it whenever practically necessary. 6 7 However, at the centre of their aesthetics quod et Deus’ with its ascending triad is quadratic approach. The impression of the modulation that allows him to reach D-flat of a cappella choral sound obviously lies particularly significant in that regard). whole is therefore not at all songlike. Only Major, far removed from the original key a primarily chordal conception. It gives This procedure could potentially cause the the repeated melismatic final clause of the of D Minor, at the word ‘crucis’. Haydn rise to a specific aura, characterised music to fall apart into a mere sequence part in Major (‘autem crucis’) spreads a could not have put this process into effect by the richness, colour intensity and of additively arranged elements. But this feeling of warm affection. because the musical language of his time “sensuality” of the harmony, as well as by is not at all the case. The piece actually did not yet offer such options. It is, despite “mystical” impressions. This approach is makes a highly uniform and closed Bruckner’s approach to setting text its enchanting suggestiveness, not a purely essentially dependent on being realised in impression.