A blessed Christmas and Happy New Year to you and the family. Thank you for penning this ode to one of my favorite composers, and one whom I’ve grown to love even more with my deepening appreciation for matters liturgical and ecclesiastical. I had promised to write a comment when this came out, but the birth of our fifth child has thrown my reading and entertainment into disarray. My apologies for coming late to this party.
I discovered Bruckner through an old Canadian podcast (i.e., Explore the Symphony), which had seasons on various forms of music and types of composers. In a brief and funny aside: for many years I confused the appearance of Bruckner with that of Gunther Wand because I bought the latter’s rendition of the 9th with the Berliners; I was impressed at the quality of the photo for someone who had lived in the XIX! In any case, the grandness and musical certainty of Bruckner has continued to grow on me over the years, and has led me to make wonderful friends around the world when I started inquiring about the best cycles of Bruckner’s symphonies. While Bruckner is accused of being unoriginal in terms of the form of the symphony, there’s something about his approach to each that reveals his continued pursuit of excellence over his life.
One thing that strikes the listener of classical music, especially considering the age in which Bruckner lived, is that his music was like his life: sincere and devoid of guile. This quality is something that I’ve begun to gravitate towards these last few years, despite having various collections of music from other younger contemporaries like Mahler and Strauss. In fact, I’ve come to eschew Mahler in the last few years. For context, I used to enjoy periodic Mahler cycles from various interpreters and would get lost in the exuberance of emotion that he conveyed in his compositions. Nonetheless, the sense of getting a knowing wink and being by the hapless Gustav just grew tiresome to the point that I rarely play his compositions. I’d go as far to say, if you’ll excuse my boldness, that Mahler’s best movements are those that are closest to Bruckner (e.g., the final movements of the 3rd and 9th symphonies, as well as the last twenty minutes of the 8th). Perhaps I’m being rash, but something about Mahler just no longer resonates with me and I see it correlated with my deepening devotion and study of the faith.
I’ve discussed this with musicophile friends of mine, some religious and some not, and the topic of Mahler’s Jewish upbringing often comes up. I of course pray that his conversion was more than just for convenience’s sake and that he might have found our Lord’s mercy in the end, as I would wish upon all, but perhaps he never left behind the Jewish fear and neuroticism behind? Did he ever fully trust in the salvific promise of baptism and His Church? I have a nagging feeling that not, but that’s just me, an ignoramus that lives over a hundred years after Herr Mahler walked this earth. Upon reading your note, I made the association with another Jewish musical genius: Leonard Bernstein, the composer of a symphony subtitled “The Age of Anxiety.” While clearly different people that took their conversions very differently, I wonder if Mr. Bernstein was a bit more sincere about his choice of retaining Jewish identity and wrote music to suit it.
These are just musings that come to mind when comparing the bumpkin from upper Austria to the cosmopolitan fan that helped pick up the sheet music after the disastrous premier of the 3rd symphony. I’d be curious about your thoughts on the matter and lament to have missed your past musical lessons in an academic setting.
Thank you again for writing so deeply about these important composers of the last two-hundred years. At least some of your fans here appreciate it, though I recognize how little engagement this seems to have gotten in the last four months.
Yours in Christ,
-Ed Crow
P.S., I have come to find that Herr Von Karajan has a strong claim to the best integral Bruckner cycle, allowing for others to perhaps excel him here or there. Despite the wonders of Bruckner’s nine, my mind and soul have settled on the Fifth as his best, with the 8th in close second. Which do you favor the most?
Thank you for this rich message. I completely agree with what you say about Mahler vs. Bruckner. I too was enamored of Mahler in younger years but now find most of his music somehow too exhibitionistic and "sophisticated" in a bad way (the root of the word is sophistry). Bruckner is a man who tells you what is in his heart and soul, and while there is struggle and pain, there is also faith and glory.
I don't have a favorite cycle, I have so many recordings that I enjoy. Celibidache is idiosyncratic but ear-opening.
What first opened my ears and soul to Bruckner was hearing excerpts from his F Minor Mass being rehearsed by singers, orchestra & choir while touring the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. No idea about the composer, but captured a few mins of the Benedictus on an old fon. Back home, would figure out on my own it was Bruckner thru some musical sleuthing online. What a majestic work!
Interesting contrast of Mahler and Bruckner. Mahler seems all pain and longing, while Bruckner finds release and comfort and calm later on.
Brucker was also, from what I've read, a personally endearing man. Rural background, very humble among other composers and high society types, and fond of beer.
Yes, this is quite true! And he was probably the most modest of all great composers. In fact, he frequently let other more famous conductors and composers convince him his music needed revising, which most of the time it didn't - it's just that they failed to understand what he was up to.
Dear Dr. K.,
A blessed Christmas and Happy New Year to you and the family. Thank you for penning this ode to one of my favorite composers, and one whom I’ve grown to love even more with my deepening appreciation for matters liturgical and ecclesiastical. I had promised to write a comment when this came out, but the birth of our fifth child has thrown my reading and entertainment into disarray. My apologies for coming late to this party.
I discovered Bruckner through an old Canadian podcast (i.e., Explore the Symphony), which had seasons on various forms of music and types of composers. In a brief and funny aside: for many years I confused the appearance of Bruckner with that of Gunther Wand because I bought the latter’s rendition of the 9th with the Berliners; I was impressed at the quality of the photo for someone who had lived in the XIX! In any case, the grandness and musical certainty of Bruckner has continued to grow on me over the years, and has led me to make wonderful friends around the world when I started inquiring about the best cycles of Bruckner’s symphonies. While Bruckner is accused of being unoriginal in terms of the form of the symphony, there’s something about his approach to each that reveals his continued pursuit of excellence over his life.
One thing that strikes the listener of classical music, especially considering the age in which Bruckner lived, is that his music was like his life: sincere and devoid of guile. This quality is something that I’ve begun to gravitate towards these last few years, despite having various collections of music from other younger contemporaries like Mahler and Strauss. In fact, I’ve come to eschew Mahler in the last few years. For context, I used to enjoy periodic Mahler cycles from various interpreters and would get lost in the exuberance of emotion that he conveyed in his compositions. Nonetheless, the sense of getting a knowing wink and being by the hapless Gustav just grew tiresome to the point that I rarely play his compositions. I’d go as far to say, if you’ll excuse my boldness, that Mahler’s best movements are those that are closest to Bruckner (e.g., the final movements of the 3rd and 9th symphonies, as well as the last twenty minutes of the 8th). Perhaps I’m being rash, but something about Mahler just no longer resonates with me and I see it correlated with my deepening devotion and study of the faith.
I’ve discussed this with musicophile friends of mine, some religious and some not, and the topic of Mahler’s Jewish upbringing often comes up. I of course pray that his conversion was more than just for convenience’s sake and that he might have found our Lord’s mercy in the end, as I would wish upon all, but perhaps he never left behind the Jewish fear and neuroticism behind? Did he ever fully trust in the salvific promise of baptism and His Church? I have a nagging feeling that not, but that’s just me, an ignoramus that lives over a hundred years after Herr Mahler walked this earth. Upon reading your note, I made the association with another Jewish musical genius: Leonard Bernstein, the composer of a symphony subtitled “The Age of Anxiety.” While clearly different people that took their conversions very differently, I wonder if Mr. Bernstein was a bit more sincere about his choice of retaining Jewish identity and wrote music to suit it.
These are just musings that come to mind when comparing the bumpkin from upper Austria to the cosmopolitan fan that helped pick up the sheet music after the disastrous premier of the 3rd symphony. I’d be curious about your thoughts on the matter and lament to have missed your past musical lessons in an academic setting.
Thank you again for writing so deeply about these important composers of the last two-hundred years. At least some of your fans here appreciate it, though I recognize how little engagement this seems to have gotten in the last four months.
Yours in Christ,
-Ed Crow
P.S., I have come to find that Herr Von Karajan has a strong claim to the best integral Bruckner cycle, allowing for others to perhaps excel him here or there. Despite the wonders of Bruckner’s nine, my mind and soul have settled on the Fifth as his best, with the 8th in close second. Which do you favor the most?
Ed,
Thank you for this rich message. I completely agree with what you say about Mahler vs. Bruckner. I too was enamored of Mahler in younger years but now find most of his music somehow too exhibitionistic and "sophisticated" in a bad way (the root of the word is sophistry). Bruckner is a man who tells you what is in his heart and soul, and while there is struggle and pain, there is also faith and glory.
I don't have a favorite cycle, I have so many recordings that I enjoy. Celibidache is idiosyncratic but ear-opening.
Warm regards,
Peter
Happy Birthday, Anton Bruckner!
What first opened my ears and soul to Bruckner was hearing excerpts from his F Minor Mass being rehearsed by singers, orchestra & choir while touring the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. No idea about the composer, but captured a few mins of the Benedictus on an old fon. Back home, would figure out on my own it was Bruckner thru some musical sleuthing online. What a majestic work!
Interesting contrast of Mahler and Bruckner. Mahler seems all pain and longing, while Bruckner finds release and comfort and calm later on.
Thanks for this- will do a closer reading later!
Brucker was also, from what I've read, a personally endearing man. Rural background, very humble among other composers and high society types, and fond of beer.
Yes, this is quite true! And he was probably the most modest of all great composers. In fact, he frequently let other more famous conductors and composers convince him his music needed revising, which most of the time it didn't - it's just that they failed to understand what he was up to.
Thank you. Bruckner (the fourth "B"?) has been one of my favorites since I was introduced to him some 30 years ago:
https://www.abruckner.com/downloads/downloadofthemonth/April15/