Symphony No. 9 in d minor, WAB 109/143

• Bruckner wrote the first three movements of this symphony over the course of Aug 12, 1887 – Nov 30, 1894. He drafted an incomplete Finale during May 24, 1895 – Oct 11, 1896.¹
  • Bruckner died on Oct. 11, 1896, after a long and painful illness. His maid recalled that on the day he died, he was still trying to complete the Finale of this symphony. 
• A version of this symphony, heavily edited by Bruckner’s student Ferdinand Löwe, premiered in Vienna in 1903. Löwe’s version of the symphony was published the same year.²
  • Many of Bruckner’s works appeared heavily edited by colleagues or students, both during and after his lifetime. His idiosyncratic style seems to attract well-meaning editors. The brothers Franz and Joseph Schalk also did a great deal of editing for Bruckner. These editors’ efforts probably helped Bruckner’s works get a hearing, but they created lots of work for future scholars seeking to ascertain the composer’s original intentions. 
• Bruckner dedicated this work to “dem lieben Gott.” He explained this valedictory dedication to his doctor, Richard Heller, shortly before his death: 

“Sehen Sie, ich habe bereits zwei irdischen Majestäten Symphonien gewidmet, dem armen König Ludwig als dem königlichen Förderer der Kunst, unseren erlauchten, lieben Kaiser als der höchsten irdischen Majestät, die ich anerkenne, und nun widme ich der Majestät aller Majestäten, dem lieben Gott, mein letztes Werk und hoffe, dass er mir so viel Zeit schenken wird, dasselbe zu vollenden und meine Gabe hoffentlich gnädig aufnehmen wird.”

Bruckner, to Richard Heller³

“You see, I have already dedicated two symphonies to earthly majesties: to poor King Ludwig [dedicatee of Bruckner’s 7^th], as the royal sponsor of art, and to our illustrious, dear Kaiser [dedicatee of Bruckner’s 8^th] whom I recognize as the highest earthly majesty, and now I dedicate to the Majesty of all Majesties, the dear God, my last work, and I hope that he will grant me enough time to complete the same, and hopefully he will accept my offering graciously.”

Bruckner, to Richard Heller⁴

Movements 

1. Feierlich, misterioso (Solemn, mysterious) 
2. Scherzo. Bewegt, lebhaft; Trio. Schnell (Scherzo: with feeling, lively; Trio: fast) 
3. Adagio. Langsam, feierlich. (Adagio: Slow, solemn) 
4. [The incomplete Finale is included in some versions. This movement is labeled “Misterioso, nicht schnell” (Mysterious; not fast)⁵

1. Paul Hawkshaw and Timothy L. Jackson, “Bruckner, (Joseph) Anton,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed April 1, 2022,  https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040030.
2. Ibid.
3. August Göllerich and Auer, Max, Anton Bruckner: Ein Lebens- und Schaffensbild, Vol. IV Regensburg: Gustav Bosse Verlag, 1922), 526, quoted in Hans-Joachim Hinrichsen, Bruckner-Handbuch(Stuttgart: Metzler Verlag, 2010), 213.
4. Trans. Emma Riggle
5. “Symphony No. 9 in d minor, WAB 109/143 (Bruckner, Anton),” IMSLP, accessed April 1, 2022, https://imslp.org/wiki/Symphony_No.9_in_D_minor%2C_WAB_109%2F143_(Bruckner%2C_Anton).