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Anton Bruckner

Anton Bruckner

Born: 4th September 1824, Ansfelden, Austria

Died: 11th October 1896, Vienna, Austria

Nationality: Austrian

Joseph Anton Bruckner 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. Bruckner's 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.

Further Reading: Bruckner

  • Nathalie Stutzmann on Bruckner

    4th Aug 2026by Katherine Cooper

    The French-born Swiss conductor discusses her new live recording of Symphony No. 4 from Atlanta, why institutional misogyny kept her off the podium until middle age, and the thrill of bringing Wagner's Rienzi to Bayreuth at long last.

  • Episode 54: Manfred Honeck on Bruckner

    15th Oct 2024by Rob Cowan

    Our guest contributor Rob Cowan speaks to the Austrian conductor about his recent recording of Symphony No. 7 with the Pittsburgh Symphony, his long-standing relationship with Bruckner’s music, and the influence of the countryside & religion on the composer's musical imagination.

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