Organ works (Bruckner)

Although he was a very proficient organist, Anton Bruckner left very few compositions for the organ.^{[1] [2]}

Compositions

Only five pieces and two sketches are indubiously autograph compositions:^[3]

The Bruckner-Orgel, St. Florian Abbey

• Nachspiel (Postlude) in D minor, WAB 126, composed in c. 1846. The manuscript with this and the following work is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey – Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/6, No. 1^[1][2]
• Andante in D minor, WAB 130, composed also in c. 1846 – Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/6, No. 2^[1][2]
• Vorspiel und Fuge (Prelude and fugue) in C minor, WAB 131, composed on 15 March 1847. The incomplete manuscript, which is stored in the archive of the Seitenstetten Abbey, was first published in Band II/2, pp. 78-82 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. The incomplete score was completed by Franz Phillip in 1929 – Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/6 No. 3^[4][2]
• Fuge in D minor, WAB 125, composed by Bruckner on 7 November 1861 for an examination, which he wanted to have in Vienna on 19 November 1861. The sketch is stored in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. The final score is found in the Sechter-Studienbuch (library of the Diocese of Münster).^[5] – Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/6, No. 4.^[4][6]
• Präludium (Perger Präludium) in C major, WAB 129, composed in 1884. A sketch is stored in the archive of the Kremsmünster Abbey. The final score, which was given to Bruckner's pupil Otto Loidol, is put in the Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/6, No. 5.^[4]
• Improvisationskizze Ischl 1890 (Themes for improvisation), WAB deest, sketched by Bruckner in July 1890 for organ playing during the wedding of Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria with Archduke Franz Salvator in Bad Ischl on 30 July 1890. The sketch, which is stored in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, is put in the Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/9, No. 6.^[4] The sketch combines the finale of Symphony No. 1, which Bruckner was reviewing at that time, Händel's Hallelujah and the Kaiserhymne.^[7] Erwin Horn recorded it in 1990: improvisation on the finale of Symphony No. 1, and in 2007: improvisation on the three themes as Kaiserliche Festmusik.^[8]
• Adagio für Orgel (Adagio for organ), WAB deest, a sketch in B major, which was found in 1953 in a catalog of the Musikautographen-Sammlung of Louis Koch. It is a first draft for the main theme of the Adagio of the Symphony No. 9 – Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/6, No. 7^[4][9]

In addition:

• Five short organ preludes in E-flat major, WAB 127 & 128, written in c. 1835. Doubts have been cast on their authenticity. They are presumably copies of compositions by Johan Baptist Weiß or another organist – Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/6, No. 8 (Addendum).^[10][4] A few other organ works found in Bruckner's Orgelbuch are presumably also transcriptions of works of Johann Baptist Weiß or other composers.

Selected discography

• Augustinus Franz Kropfreiter, Bruckner-Orgel (Sankt Florian), Verein der Freunde der Oberösterreichischen Stiftskonzerte – LP: ORF/Lesborne L 2955, c. 1973.
  A digitalisation of the LP can be heard on John Berky's website: Organ works by Augustinus Franz Kropfreiter (items 5 to 9)
• Heinz Lohmann, Klais-Orgel of the Jesuit Church, Mannheim - LP: RBM 3004, 1974; reissued as CD: Klassic Haus KHCD 2012-008, 2011
• Erwin Horn, Klais-Orgel of the Frauenkirche, Nuremberg, Bruckner Orgelwerke – CD: Novalis 150 071-2, 1990
• Erwin Horn, Bruckner-Orgel (Sankt Florian), Was mir die Liebe erzählt - CD: MOT 13551, 2007
• Gerd Schaller, Eisenbarth-organ of the Church of the Ebrach Monastery, Bruckner – Mass 3, Psalm 146, Organ works, CD: Profil Hänssler PH16034, 2015 - Bruckner's organ works, except the five preludes (WAB 127 & 128), which are of doubtful authenticity.

References

1. C. van Zwol, p. 676
2. C. Howie, Chapter II, p. 30
3. Frühe Orchesterwerke und Instrumentalstücke
4. C. van Zwol, p. 677
5. Bruckner online - Quellenbeschreibung
6. C. Howie, Chapter III, p. 120
7. U. Harten, p. 210
8. Critical discography of the Improvisationsskizze Ischl 1890, WAB deest
9. U. Harten, p. 43
10. C. Howie, Chapter I: p. 12

Sources

• August Göllerich, Anton Bruckner. Ein Lebens- und Schaffens-Bild, c. 1922 – posthumous edited by Max Auer by G. Bosse, Regensburg, 1932
• Uwe Harten, Anton Bruckner. Ein Handbuch. Residenz Verlag, Salzburg, 1996. ISBN 3-7017-1030-9.
• Anton Bruckner – Sämtliche Werke, Band XII/6: Organ works (1846–1890), Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag der Internationalen Bruckner-Gesellschaft, Erwin Horn (Editor), Vienna, 1998
• Cornelis van Zwol, Anton Bruckner 1824–1896 – Leven en werken, uitg. Thoth, Bussum, Netherlands, 2012. ISBN 978-90-6868-590-9
• Crawford Howie, Anton Bruckner - A documentary biography, online revised edition

External links

• Compositions by Anton Bruckner: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Scores of organ preludes on John Berky's website
• Werke für Orgel Critical discography by Hans Roelofs (German)