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A year closer to the Bruckner bicentennial [1]
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Date: 2023-09-04
The atheist perspective on the music of the unquestionably devout Catholic composer Anton Bruckner is quite refreshing. George Grella for VAN Magazine:
Bruckner, ..., was truly devout, and I hear that in his music. The grand shape and scope of his symphonies is not about him, but about the immense power and unknowability of God. Bruckner is like the blind scientists trying to describe the elephant, except there’s only one of him and he knows he can never lay his hands on the whole thing. But he doesn’t need to. Bruckner accepts that God, and God’s universe, is beyond human language and comprehension. His symphonies, especially the Eighth and Ninth, are about God and his faith, and that’s another reason that I, an atheist, love him.
This is a refreshing contrast to all the “I hate Bruckner” articles, which can be neatly summarized as “I don't like Bruckner so you shouldn’t give him a chance either, plus he was a creep.” And that last part is backed up by anecdotes that are either out of context and blown out of proportion or are dubious, with about as much credibility as similar accusations against Joe Biden.
Even the New York Times ran an “I hate Bruckner” article. Though we should not forget that the two music critics writing that article in complete agreement with each other — really, New York Times, you couldn’t be both-sideist on this one!? — have colleagues over in the news division who manufactured Clinton Foundation scandals out of tiny wisps of evidence.
It’s actually disappointing that none of the “I hate Bruckner” articles mention how Bruckner was misappropriated by the Nazis, because that helps explain why we still have a warped view of Bruckner.
Adolf Hitler for one saw himself as a kindred spirit to Bruckner, but that required ignoring several important details of Bruckner’s biography. To Hitler, Bruckner is great not because Bruckner studied music arduously, but because Bruckner is Aryan. The idea of Bruckner the mystical simpleton worked better with the narrative of Bruckner’s greatness being due to his racial purity.
Hitler claimed to be Catholic, but his deeds spoke louder than his words that he wasn’t actually. Bruckner, on the other hand, did not need to claim to be Catholic, because he was and he lived it.
People care, for some reason, that Bruckner never married. The closest he came to marriage was with a Lutheran woman, and she wanted him to convert. I would’ve said “close enough” and asked what kind of mitzvot I need to do. In that way, I’m more like George W. Bush than like Bruckner.
One time, before a music exam, the examiners presented Bruckner with a fugue theme they cobbled together haphazardly. Bruckner took a long moment to pray. Just before the examiners’ patience ran out, Bruckner went to the keyboard and proceeded to make such a dazzling demonstration of his musical skill that one of the examiners said “he should have examined us!”
Bruckner’s not for everyone, just like Bach’s not for everyone. If you genuinely listen to the music with an open mind and decide that you don’t like it, that’s good. Just please don’t write an article saying no one else should even try listening to any of his music, there are enough of those already.
So, what compositions are recommended for people unfamiliar with Bruckner’s music who want to give him a chance? The always arrogant music critic David Hurwitz at least has a better understanding of Bruckner than most others in his profession, so his recommendation carries some weight. Hurwitz recommends:
Symphony No. 7 in E major
Te Deum
That’s it. Good choices, I think.
Though how about starting with Bruckner’s most obscure symphony, the Symphony No. 6 in A major? In a concert, I would preface it with a couple of excerpts from John Williams’s music for the first Superman movie, like the march and the love theme. Then repeat the march after the Bruckner. I think you’ll hear what I’m getting at.
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Although given the late hour I’m posting this, you might prefer something a little more chill, like maybe chamber music. There’s really only one choice for this purpose, the String Quintet in F major. If you find yourself feeling just the tiniest bit antsy, you have my permission to skip ahead to 13:00 for the Scherzo, probably the most playful music Bruckner ever wrote.
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The premiering musicians had quite a bit of trouble with that Scherzo, so Bruckner obliged with a slightly easier Intermezzo in D minor. Well, it’s about as slightly easier as Beethoven’s alternate finale to replace the Große Fuge.
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Bruckner was born on this date in 1824. Which means the bicentennial is next year. Obviously with democracy hanging on by a thread the Bruckner bicentennial won’t be the most important thing going on next year. Once in a while, though, it might be good to take a break with Bruckner.
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