Josef Anton Bruckner (1824 – 1896) was an Austrian
composer and organist best known for his symphonies and
sacred music, which includes Masses, Te Deum and
motets. The symphonies are considered emblematic of the
final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of
their rich harmonic language, strongly polyphonic
character, and considerable length. His compositions
helped to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing
to their dissonances, unprepared modulations, and
roving harmonies.
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Josef Anton Bruckner (1824 – 1896) was an Austrian
composer and organist best known for his symphonies and
sacred music, which includes Masses, Te Deum and
motets. The symphonies are considered emblematic of the
final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of
their rich harmonic language, strongly polyphonic
character, and considerable length. His compositions
helped to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing
to their dissonances, unprepared modulations, and
roving harmonies.
Unlike other musical radicals such as Richard Wagner
and Hugo Wolf, Bruckner showed respect, even humility,
before other famous musicians, Wagner in particular.
This apparent dichotomy between Bruckner the man and
Bruckner the composer hampers efforts to describe his
life in a way that gives a straightforward context for
his music. Hans von Bülow described him as "half
genius, half simpleton". Bruckner was critical of his
own work and often reworked his compositions. There are
several versions of many of his works.
His works, the symphonies in particular, had
detractors, most notably the influential Austrian
critic Eduard Hanslick and other supporters of Johannes
Brahms, who pointed to their large size and use of
repetition, as well as to Bruckner's propensity for
revising many of his works, often with the assistance
of colleagues, and his apparent indecision about which
versions he preferred. On the other hand, Bruckner was
greatly admired by subsequent composers, including his
friend Gustav Mahler.
The cantata Entsagen (Renunciation), WAB 14, is a
cantata composed by Anton Bruckner in c. 1851. He
composed the cantata for the name-day of Michael
Arneth, the prior of the St. Florian Abbey. The piece
was intended to be performed on Arneth's name-day. It
is not known when it was performed. Why Bruckner has
chosen this unsound text for the name-day of his
Maecenas remains unexplained. Perhaps he has put so
into music his resignation following his father's death
or Aloisia Bogner's refusal of his proposal of
marriage. The manuscript is stored in the archive of
the St. Florian Abbey. A facsimile of the cantata was
first issued in band II/2, pp. 47–58 of the
Göllerich/Auer biography. The cantata was thereafter
issued by Ludwig Daxsperger in 1956. It is put in Band
XXII/1 No. 2 of the Gesamtausgabe.
The 126-bar long work in B? major is scored for SATB
choir or quartet, soprano or tenor soloist, and organ
(or piano). The cantata is a ‘spiritual song’ in
three sections, in ABA′ form. The outer sections are
in the form of Protestant chorale, with in bars 16–19
(Die treu'ste Mutter groß!) and 110–113 (In
heimlicher Gefahr!) a direct quotation from "O Haupt
voll Blut und Wunden". The expressive middle section, a
solo for soprano or tenor in F major, is with large
intervals and strong modulation. The contrapuntal
accompaniment by the organ (or piano) has some
reminiscences of the baroque opera.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entsagen,_WAB_14).
Although originally created for Tenor Solo, Chorus
(SATB) & Organ, I created this Interpretation of the
"Entsagen" (Renunciation WAB 14) in Bb Major for Winds
(Flute, Oboe, French Horn & Bassoon) & Strings (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).