Requiem (Bruckner)
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The Requiem in D minor, WAB 39, is a ''Missa pro defunctis'' composed by
Anton Bruckner Joseph Anton Bruckner (; ; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for his Symphonies by Anton Bruckner, symphonies and sacred music, which includes List of masses by Anton Bruckner, Masses, Te Deum (Br ...
in 1849.


History

The Requiem in D minor, a setting of the '' Missa pro defunctis'' for mixed choir, vocal soloists, three
trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...
s, one
horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...
, strings and organ with
figured bass Figured bass is musical notation in which numerals and symbols appear above or below (or next to) a bass note. The numerals and symbols (often accidental (music), accidentals) indicate interval (music), intervals, chord (music), chords, and non- ...
,Anton Bruckner – Critical Complete Edition: Requiem, Masses & Te Deum
/ref> was composed by Bruckner in memory of Franz Sailer, the notary of the St. Florian Monastery, who bequeathed Bruckner a Bösendorfer piano.Nowak Edition The Requiem was premiered on 15 September 1849 in the St. Florian Monastery, a year after Sailer's death. A second performance occurred on 11 December 1849 in the Abbey of
Kremsmünster Kremsmünster is a town in Kirchdorf an der Krems District, in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Settled in 777, it is home to the Kremsmünster Abbey. The Abbey was founded 777 by Duke Tassilo III of Bavaria and is one of the oldest abbeys ...
.C. van Zwol, p. 684-685 The manuscript is archived in the St. Florian Monastery. In 1892, Bruckner revised the score and gave it to Franz Bayer. Bayer performed it on 4 December 1895 in
Steyr Steyr (; ) is a statutory city (Austria), statutory city, located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. It is the administrative capital, though not part of Steyr-Land District. Steyr is Austria's 12th most populated town and the 3rd lar ...
for the funerals of parish priest Johann Evangelist Aichinger. The ''
Österreichische Nationalbibliothek The Austrian National Library (, ) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in center of Vienna. Since 2005, some of the collection ...
'' acquired the revised score from Bayer's widow in 1923.


Setting

#
Introit The Introit () is part of the opening of the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations. In its most complete version, it consists of an antiphon, psalm verse and '' Gloria Patri'', which are spoken or sung at the ...
: Requiem – Andante,
D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed ...
#
Sequence In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is cal ...
: Dies irae – Allegro, D minor #
Offertorium ''Offertorium'' ( Russian ''Жертвоприношение'') is a concerto for violin and orchestra composed by Sofia Gubaidulina in 1980 and revised in 1982 and 1986. It was dedicated to Gidon Kremer, who in touring with it around the worl ...
## Domine – Andante,
F major F major is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat.Music Theory'. (1950). United States: Standards and Curriculum Division, Training, Bureau of Naval Personnel. 28. Its relati ...
## Hostias – Adagio,
B-flat major B-flat major is a major scale based on B, with pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative minor is G minor and its parallel minor is B-flat minor. The B-flat major scale is: Changes needed for ...
:
Chorale A chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of " Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one o ...
by divided man voices and trombones ## Quam olim – Con spirito,
F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp ...
: Double
fugue In classical music, a fugue (, from Latin ''fuga'', meaning "flight" or "escape""Fugue, ''n''." ''The Concise Oxford English Dictionary'', eleventh edition, revised, ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson (Oxford and New York: Oxford Universit ...
, ending in F major #
Sanctus The ''Sanctus'' (, "Holy") is a hymn in Christian liturgy. It may also be called the ''epinikios hymnos'' (, "Hymn of Victory") when referring to the Greek rendition and parts of it are sometimes called "Benedictus". ''Tersanctus'' (Latin: "Thr ...
– Andante, D minor #
Benedictus Benedictus, Latin for "blessed" or "a blessed person", may refer to: Music * "Benedictus" (canticle), also called the "Canticle of Zachary", a canticle in the Gospel of Lukas * Part of the "Sanctus", a hymn and part of the eucharistic prayer in W ...
– Andante, B-flat major - a solo horn replaces the bass trombone #
Agnus Dei is the Latin name under which the "Lamb of God" is honoured within Christian liturgies descending from the historic Latin liturgical tradition, including those of Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism. It is the name given to a spec ...
and Communion ## Agnus Dei – Adagio, D minor ## Requiem – Adagio, D minor: Chorale ''
a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
'' ## Cum sanctis – Alla breve, D minor, ending in
D major D major is a major scale based on D (musical note), D, consisting of the pitches D, E (musical note), E, F♯ (musical note), F, G (musical note), G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, and C♯ (musical note), C. Its key signature has two S ...
Total duration: about 37 minutes The Requiem is most likely Bruckner's "first truly large-scale composition and probably his first significant work." " tis amazing what he achieved, especially if we look at the great double fugue of the ''Quam olim Abrahae'', written at least six years before he even commenced his thorough contrapuntal studies with
Simon Sechter Simon Sechter (11 October 1788 – 10 September 1867) was an Austrian music theorist, composer, conductor, and organist. He is best known as a strict music teacher, whose many students included Anton Bruckner, Sigismond Thalberg, and Henri ...
!"''Four Pieces and Requiem'' – LP liner notes by Hans-Hubert Schönzeler, 1970
/ref> "The Requiem was Bruckner's first larger-scale composition and also his first work with orchestra. hen reviewing it in 1892,as a highly self-critical seventy-year-old, Bruckner passed judgement on the work as follows: ' ('It is not bad!')." There is clear influence of
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
throughout the work.
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are many passages reminiscent of what was even then, in 1848/49, a past age (the very opening points irresistibly to Mozart's Requiem in the same key), and though the very inclusion of a figured bass for organ '' continuo'' strikes one as backward looking, there are already several flashes of the later, great Bruckner to come.
espite itis by no means a perfect masterpiece... tcan be said to be the first full demonstration that the young man was a composer of inestimable promise. ... heexpressively reticent opening of the opening of the Requiem, with his softly shifting syncopations in the strings ... already faintly anticipates one or two of his own symphonic passages in the two earlier D minor symphonies, for instance Nos. '0' and 3... ecannot escape the solemn beauty of this music, which already has the authentic atmosphere of natural genius.Leaflet of Best's recording by Robert Simpson
During the years following the composition of the ''Requiem'', Bruckner wrote a number of small choral works as well as two works on a larger canvas: a ''
Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for "y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary or Canticle of Mary, and in the Byzantine Rite as the Ode of the Theotokos (). Its Western name derives from the incipit of its Latin text. This ...
'' (1852) and the ''
Missa solemnis is Latin for Solemn Mass.Mass
, ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. N.p., Appleton, 1910. 797. and is a genre of < ...
'' in B-flat minor (1854). Strangely enough these do not quite measure up to the qualities inherent in the earlier ''Requiem''.


Versions and editions

Bruckner made a slight revision of the score in 1892. He gave Franz Bayer the revised score. Bayer performed the revised work on 4 December 1895 in
Steyr Steyr (; ) is a statutory city (Austria), statutory city, located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. It is the administrative capital, though not part of Steyr-Land District. Steyr is Austria's 12th most populated town and the 3rd lar ...
for the funerals of the parish priest Johann Evangelist Aichinger. The ''
Österreichische Nationalbibliothek The Austrian National Library (, ) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in center of Vienna. Since 2005, some of the collection ...
'' has acquired the revised score from Bayer's widow in 1923. There are three different editions in the '' Gesamtausgabe'': * Haas edition (1930/31), together with the
Missa solemnis is Latin for Solemn Mass.Mass
, ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. N.p., Appleton, 1910. 797. and is a genre of < ...
. Haas added a lot of dynamics markings, but ignored some of Bruckner's hairpins * Nowak edition (1966). Nowak corrected Haas' oversights but retained antique clefs for the vocal parts (different C-clefs for soprano, alto and tenor) * Rüdiger Bornhöft edition (1998). Bornhöft modernised the
clef A clef (from French: 'key') is a musical symbol used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical staff. Placing a clef on a staff assigns a particular pitch to one of the five lines or four spaces, whic ...
s ( treble for all but bass) and corrected minor errors.


Selected discography

The Requiem remains still somewhat in the background of other Bruckner's works. Most of the about 20 recordings of it are live performances, which were not brought to the commercial market. According to Hans Roelofs, Schönzeler's 1970 LP recording, which was a true pioneer work, has, in spite of subsequent recordings, hold his status. Matthew Best's CD recording is currently still the reference. Farnberger's recording (1997) with the St. Florianer Sängerknaben, which was recorded in the St. Florian Abbey, provides the listener with a whiff of authenticity. Out of the more recent recordings, Roelofs picks out Janssens' recording of 2006 with the Laudantes Consort, and Susana Acra-Brache's recording of 2010 with the Grupo Vocal Matisses. * Hans-Hubert Schönzeler, ''Requiem & 4 Orchestral Pieces'', Alexandra Choir,
London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...
, Robert Munns (Organ) – LP: Unicorn UNS 210, 1970 * Hans Michael Beuerle, ''Requiem in D minor'', Laubacher Kantorei and Instrumental-Ensemble Werner Keltsch – LP: Cantate 658 231, 1972.
This LP has been transferred to CD: Klassic Haus KHCD 2011-092, 2011 (with
Psalm 146 Psalm 146 is the 146th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version, "Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul". In Latin, it is known as "Lauda anima mea Dominum". In the slightly different numbering sys ...
by Wolfgang Riedelbauch). * Friedrich Wolf, ''Anton Bruckner – Requiem'', Choir and Orchestra of St Augustin, Vienna, Martin Haselböck (Organ) – LP: Philips Fontana 6599 855, 1974 * Herbert Ermert, ''Anton Bruckner - Requiem d-Moll'', Bach-Gemeinschaft Bonn, Siegerland-Orchester, Ludger Lohmann (Organ) – LP: Aulos FSM-53 552 AUL, 1980 - transferred to CD: Aulos AUL 66122 (with Cherubini's Requiem) *
Jürgen Jürgens Jürgen Jürgens (5 October 1925 – 4 August 1994) was a German choral conductor and academic teacher. He founded and directed the Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg, a pioneering ensemble for Monteverdi's music. Biography Born in Frankfurt am Main, Jür ...
, ''Anton Bruckner – Music of the St. Florian Period (II)'', Monteverdi-Chor, Camerata Academica Hamburg, Werner Kaufmann (Organ), 1985.
This historical, previously not issued performance has recently been transferred to CD: BSVD-0111, 2012 (Bruckner Archive Production) * Matthew Best, ''Bruckner - Requiem,
Psalm 112 Psalm 112 is the 112th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin ...
&
Psalm 114 Psalm 114 is the 114th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "When Israel went out of Egypt". In the slightly different Psalms#Numbering, numbering system in the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate versi ...
'', Corydon Singers,
English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. With a limited performance size, the orchestra spe ...
, Thomas Trotter (organ) – CD: Hyperion CDA66245, 1987 * Franz Farnberger, ''Anton Bruckner in St. Florian – Requiem & Motetten'', St. Florianer Sängerknaben, Instrumentalensemble St. Florian, Andreas Etlinger (Organ) – CD Studio SM D2639 SM 44, 1997 * Guy Janssens, ''A history of the Requiem - Part III'', Laudantes Consort, Benoît Mernier (Organ) – CD: Cypres CYP 1654, 2006 (with Maurice Duruflé's Requiem) * Susana Acra-Brache, ''Anton Bruckner: Requiem,
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&
Te Deum The ( or , ; from its incipit, ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to a date before AD 500, but perhaps with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin ...
'', Grupo Vocal Matisses and In-Art Orquestra – CD/DVD: Issue of the Ensemble Musica Sacra, 2010.The Dominican Republic Bruckner Concert
/ref> * Łukasz Borowicz, ''Anton Bruckner: Requiem'',
RIAS Kammerchor The RIAS Kammerchor (RIAS Chamber Choir) is a German choir based in Berlin, Germany. It receives support from the Rundfunk Orchester und Chöre GmbH Berlin ("Berlin Radio Orchestra and Choirs"), a limited-liability company owned by the public br ...
,
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin A German Akademie is a school or college, trade school or another educational institution. The word Akademie (unlike the words Gymnasium or Universität) is not protected by law, and any school or college may choose to call itself Akademie. A Som ...
– CD: Accentus ACC30474, 2019 - Cohrs edition based on the 1849 version, 2018


References


Sources

*''Anton Bruckner, Sämtliche Werke, Kritische Gesamtausgabe – Band 15: Requiem d-Moll – Missa solemnis b-Moll'', Dr. Benno Filsen Verlag GmbH, Robert Haas (Editor), Augsburg-Vienna, 1930 * ''Anton Bruckner: Sämtliche Werke: Band XIV: Requiem d-Moll (1849)'', Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag der Internationalen Bruckner-Gesellschaft, Leopold Nowak (Editor), Vienna, 1966 / revised new edition, Rüdiger Bornhöft (Editor), Vienna, 1998 *
Uwe Harten Uwe Harten (born 16 August 1944) is a German musicologist, who works in Austria. Life Born in , Harten grew up in Hamburg, where he was a boy soprano at the Staatsoper. He took over the roles of a child. In Hamburg he also began his studies of ...
, ''Anton Bruckner. Ein Handbuch''. , Salzburg, 1996. . * Keith William Kinder, ''The Wind and Wind-Chorus Music of Anton Bruckner'', Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, 2000 * Cornelis van Zwol, ''Anton Bruckner – Leven en Werken'', Thot, Bussum (Netherlands), 2012.


External links


''Requiem'' d-Moll, WAB 39
Critical discography by Hans Roelofs * * Live recordings on YouTube: ** Maija Breiksa with the Biberist Contrapunkt Chor (2012)
Anton Bruckner - ''Requiem in d-Moll'' WAB39
** Chen Kuizhu with the Taipai Choral Society (2021)
A. Bruckner: Requiem in D minor, WAB 39
** Akira Harada with the TGY Choir (2024)
Requiem d-Moll, WAB 39
{{Authority control Masses by Anton Bruckner 1849 compositions Bruckner Music for orchestra and organ Compositions in D minor