Anton Bruckner, Austrian Composer

Anton Bruckner, Austrian Composer

Anton Bruckner (September 4, 1824 - October 11, 1896) was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The first are emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their harmonic language, polyphonic character, and considerable length. His compositions helped to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing to their dissonances, unprepared modulations, and roving harmonies. His works, the symphonies in particular, had detractors who pointed to their large size and use of repetition, as well as to Bruckner's propensity to revise many of his works, often with the assistance of colleagues, and his apparent indecision about which versions he preferred. Bruckner was greatly admired by subsequent composers including his friend Gustav Mahler, who described him as "half simpleton, half God". Bruckner was a devoutly religious man, and composed numerous sacred works. He died in 1896 at the age of 72. He is buried in the crypt of the monastery church at Sankt Florian, immediately below his favorite organ. He had always had a morbid fascination with death and dead bodies, and left explicit instructions regarding the embalming of his corpse. No photographer credited, 1885.

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3320 x 4050 px | 38.5 MB

28.1 x 34.3 cm | 11.1 x 13.5 in (300 dpi)