Two Aequali (Bruckner)

Two Aequali
by Anton Bruckner

Incipit officium pro fidelibus defunctis Book of hours
Key C minor
Catalogue WAB 114 & 149
Form Aequale
Composed January 1847  St. Florian Abbey
Dedication Funeral of Rosalia Mayrhofer
Scoring 3 trombones (alto, tenor, bass)

The Two Aequali, WAB 114 & 149, were composed by Anton Bruckner in 1847.

History

Bruckner composed the two Aequali in end January 1847 during his stay in St. Florian Abbey. He composed them for the funeral of his aunt Rosalia Mayrhofer (1770-1847).[1]

The manuscript of the first Aequale (WAB 114) is stored in the archive of the Seitenstetten Abbey. The work was first published in band II/2, p. 83 of the Göllerich/Auer biography.[1]

The sketch of the second Aequale was retrieved later in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey.[2] In the sketch the score for the bass trombone is missing. It was then put as addendum (WAB 149) to the already issued WAB classification.[1]

The two Aequali are issued in Band XXI/14 of the Gesamtausgabe.[3]

Music

The two Aequali in C minor, with 34 and 27 bars, respectively, are score for alto, tenor and bass trombones. In the edition of the Gesamtausgabe the missing score for the bass trombone of the second Aequale has been completed by Hans Bauernfeind.[1]

The works are choral-sized with in WAB 114 a typical folklike melody in sixths. Similar musical sets were later used in the so-called Choräle in Bruckner's later symphonies.[2]

Selected discography

Bruckner's two Aequali are popular pieces for trombone ensembles and are also often put as additional pieces to recordings of choral works.

The first recording occurred in 1970:

A selection among the about 50 recordings:

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 C. van Zwol, pp. 702-703
  2. 2.0 2.1 U. Harten, p. 45
  3. Gesamtausgabe - Kleine Kirchenmusikwerke

Sources

External links