Overture (Bruckner)
Encyclopedia
In 1862-1863 Anton Bruckner
composed the Overture in G minor (WAB 98).
By contrast to the earlier Four Orchestral Pieces
and the next Symphony in F minor
, the Overture appears a much more mature work – really the overture to the mature Bruckner.
Bruckner's characteristics are already present: the opening subject with his octave
interval in unison
– as that of the main theme of the Ninth Symphony
, the full orchestral chords followed by semiquaver
runs, and the second slower subject with its large interval leaps, which is prefiguring the descending motive of the Adagio of the Fifth Symphony
.
The orchestral setting is similar to that of the March in D minor, except that the second flute is replaced by a piccolo
.
The original (1862) version of the Overture had a different coda
at bars 233-288. This was replaced - and approved by Kitzler - with a new coda (bars 233-288) in the final version of 1863. The "coda of the coda" (bars 289-301) is the same in both versions.
The score of the Overture was given by Bruckner to his friend Cyrill Hynais, together with that of Four Orchestral Pieces and the Symphony in F minor
.
Some of these recordings, including the single recording of the 1862 version of the Overture by Shunsaku Tsutsumi, can be downloaded from John Berky’s site.
Score of the Overture in G minor (final version) at IMSLP
Anton Bruckner
Anton Bruckner was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, complex polyphony, and considerable length...
composed the Overture in G minor (WAB 98).
By contrast to the earlier Four Orchestral Pieces
Four Orchestral Pieces (Bruckner)
When studying by Otto Kitzler, Anton Bruckner composed his first instrumental work, the String Quartet in C minor in 1862.Somewhat later in the same year, he tried his hand at purely orchestral composition...
and the next Symphony in F minor
Study Symphony
Anton Bruckner's Study Symphony in F minor, , or simply Symphony in F minor, WAB 99, was written in 1863 as an exercise under Otto Kitzler's instruction in form and orchestration. Scholars at first believed that the next symphony Bruckner wrote was Symphony No. 0 in D minor, thus this symphony is...
, the Overture appears a much more mature work – really the overture to the mature Bruckner.
Bruckner's characteristics are already present: the opening subject with his octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
interval in unison
Unison
In music, the word unison can be applied in more than one way. In general terms, it may refer to two notes sounding the same pitch, often but not always at the same time; or to the same musical voice being sounded by several voices or instruments together, either at the same pitch or at a distance...
– as that of the main theme of the Ninth Symphony
Symphony No. 9 (Bruckner)
Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 in D minor is the last Symphony upon which he worked, leaving the last movement incomplete at the time of his death in 1896. The symphony was premiered under Ferdinand Löwe in Vienna in 1903, after Bruckner's death...
, the full orchestral chords followed by semiquaver
Sixteenth note
thumb|right|Figure 1. A sixteenth note with stem facing up, a sixteenth note with stem facing down, and a sixteenth rest.thumb|right|Figure 2. Four sixteenth notes beamed together....
runs, and the second slower subject with its large interval leaps, which is prefiguring the descending motive of the Adagio of the Fifth Symphony
Symphony No. 5 (Bruckner)
The Symphony No. 5 in B flat major of Anton Bruckner was written in 1875–1876, with a few minor changes over the next few years. It was first performed in public on two pianos by Joseph Schalk and Franz Zottmann on 20 April 1887 at the Bösendorfersaal in Vienna...
.
The orchestral setting is similar to that of the March in D minor, except that the second flute is replaced by a piccolo
Piccolo
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
.
The original (1862) version of the Overture had a different coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
at bars 233-288. This was replaced - and approved by Kitzler - with a new coda (bars 233-288) in the final version of 1863. The "coda of the coda" (bars 289-301) is the same in both versions.
The score of the Overture was given by Bruckner to his friend Cyrill Hynais, together with that of Four Orchestral Pieces and the Symphony in F minor
Study Symphony
Anton Bruckner's Study Symphony in F minor, , or simply Symphony in F minor, WAB 99, was written in 1863 as an exercise under Otto Kitzler's instruction in form and orchestration. Scholars at first believed that the next symphony Bruckner wrote was Symphony No. 0 in D minor, thus this symphony is...
.
Discography
The Overture have been recorded about twenty times, mainly as addendum to that of a symphony.Some of these recordings, including the single recording of the 1862 version of the Overture by Shunsaku Tsutsumi, can be downloaded from John Berky’s site.
External links
Hans-Hubert Schönzeler: Overture in G Minor and Study Symphony, 1972Score of the Overture in G minor (final version) at IMSLP