Symphony in F minor (Bruckner)

Anton Bruckner (approx. 1860)

Anton Bruckner composed the symphony in F minor , later called the “ study symphony ” by publisher Leopold Nowak, in 1863. It is his first orchestral work in several movements, with which he also completed his studies in free composition with Otto Kitzler (Bruckner had previously been under Kitzler's supervision already written smaller orchestral pieces and marches). In 1866 Bruckner canceled this early work. The symphony is cataloged under number 99 in the Anton Bruckner catalog raisonné (WAB).

Work history

The composer understood this work, like his only string quartet and other works composed by Kitzler , in later years only as pure "school work". He separated it out of the canon of his numbered symphonies as early as 1866 after trying unsuccessfully for a performance for several years (including by Franz Lachner in Munich). The autograph is in the Kremsmünster Abbey (music archive, signature C, 56, 7; the last sheet of the first movement, volume 11, is missing). A complete copy with Bruckner's autograph entries is mostly in the music collection of the Vienna Library (movements 1, 2, 4, call number MH 3795 c), the third movement is also in Kremsmünster. The symphony was brought to the public bit by bit: The 2nd movement was premiered on October 31, 1913 by the Wiener Konzertverein under Ferdinand Löwe. On March 18, 1923, Franz Moißl conducted the first performance of the 1st and 4th movements as well as the 2nd movement in Klosterneuburg; on October 12, 1924, he delivered the Scherzo in Klosterneuburg, which was rediscovered in Kremsmünster in the summer of 1924. The first complete performance of the symphony took place by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra on February 19, 1925, also under Franz Moissl. The score and parts did not appear in print until 1973.

The sentences

The symphony has four movements and its playing time is about 36 to 52 minutes. The great differences can be explained by the repetition of the exposition prescribed by Bruckner in the corner movements, which some conductors do not take into account.

Allegro molto vivace (F minor)
Andante molto ( A flat major )
Scherzo: Fast ( C minor )
Finale: Allegro (F minor)

literature

Renate Ulm (Ed.): The Bruckner Symphonies. Origin, interpretation, effect. Bärenreiter, Kassel 2005, ISBN 3-7618-1590-5 .

Footnotes

Remarks

↑ One should better not measure the F minor symphony against the works of the later Bruckner. This debut is inevitably reminiscent of certain role models that the still little experienced Bruckner drew on for orientation (especially in the cornerstones : Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy ). However, the symphony shows a sovereign mastery of the compositional craft by the 39-year-old composer. In the formal layout of the movements (1st and 4th movements with three themes, slow movement as a rondo-like structure), some features of Bruckner's later style can already be clearly recognized. In terms of character, the Scherzo is particularly pronounced, whose coarse pounding dance rhythms appear as an unmistakable anticipation of the typical Brucknerian Scherzo style. As a symphony of its time, the work is certainly no better or worse than many other things that were composed at the time. Unfortunately, the performance practice of the symphony suffers from viewing it through the glasses of the late Bruckner. The first movement, for example, bears the fastest tempo designation ever by Bruckner, but is hardly ever performed as an allegro molto vivace . A discovery of the work by the historically informed performance practice is still pending.

Individual evidence

^ Symphony in F Minor . At abruckner.com, accessed on March 25, 2019

[1] One should better not measure the F minor symphony against the works of the later Bruckner. This debut is inevitably reminiscent of certain role models that the still little experienced Bruckner drew on for orientation (especially in the cornerstones : Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy ). However, the symphony shows a sovereign mastery of the compositional craft by the 39-year-old composer. In the formal layout of the movements (1st and 4th movements with three themes, slow movement as a rondo-like structure), some features of Bruckner's later style can already be clearly recognized. In terms of character, the Scherzo is particularly pronounced, whose coarse pounding dance rhythms appear as an unmistakable anticipation of the typical Brucknerian Scherzo style. As a symphony of its time, the work is certainly no better or worse than many other things that were composed at the time. Unfortunately, the performance practice of the symphony suffers from viewing it through the glasses of the late Bruckner. The first movement, for example, bears the fastest tempo designation ever by Bruckner, but is hardly ever performed as an allegro molto vivace . A discovery of the work by the historically informed performance practice is still pending.

[2] Symphony in F Minor . At abruckner.com, accessed on March 25, 2019