Anton Bruckner composed about fifty small piano works, the earliest in 1850, the last in 1868.

Works for piano for two hands

Seven works are edited in Band XII/2 of the Bruckner's Gesamtausgabe.[1] These works were mainly composed for his piano pupils during his stay in St. Florian (1845–1855) and in Linz (1855–1868).[2]

  • Four Lancier-Quadrille, WAB 120, in C major, compiled in c.1850 from melodies from Albert Lortzing's Der Wildschütz and Zar und Zimmermann, and Gaetano Donizetti's La fille du régiment,[3] as exercise for his piano pupil Aloisia Bogner:[4] Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/2, No. 1[5][6]
  • Steiermärker (From Steiermark), WAB 122, a 32-bar long piece in G major, composed also in c.1850 for Aloisia Bogner:[4] Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/2, No. 2[5] It is a kind of stylised Ländler in A-B-C-A form.[6]
  • Klavierstück, WAB 119, an 18-bar long "piece for piano" in E-flat major, composed in c.1856 for teaching purpose: Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/2, No. 3[5][7][8]
  • Sonatensatz, WAB 243,[9] a 194-bar long first "movement of a sonata" in G minor, found on pp. 157–164 of the Kitzler-Studienbuch: Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/2, No. 7 (Addendum). The partially missing score for the left hand has been completed by Walburga Litschauer.[10][11]
  • Stille Betrachtung an einem Herbstabend (Quiet meditation on an autumn evening), WAB 123, a 58-bar long piece in F-sharp minor. A paraphrase of Mendelssohn's Lied ohne Worte opus 30, No. 6, which Bruckner composed on 10 October 1863 for Emma Thanner: Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/2, No. 4[7][12]
  • Fantasie, WAB 118, a 119-bar long, two-part "fantasia" in G major composed on 10 September 1868 for Alexandrine Soika: Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/2, No. 5[7][10]
  • Erinnerung (Remembrance), WAB 117, a 52-bar long piece in A-flat major composed in c.1868: Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/2, No. 6[10][13]

Piano works composed during Kitzler's tuition

About fifty other piano works, which Bruckner composed in 1862 during Kitzler's tuition,[14] are found in the Kitzler-Studienbuch:[15][16] A not exhaustive list:

  • Walzer in E-flat major, WAB 224/1 (p. 25)[17]
  • Walzer in C major, WAB 224/2 (p. 26)[18]
  • Four Polkas in C major, WAB 221 (pp. 27-28)
  • Galopp in C major, WAB 239 (p. 29)[19]
  • Mazurca in A minor, WAB 218 (p. 29)[20]
  • Menuett in C major, WAB 219 (p. 30)[21]
  • Unnamed exercise in C major (p. 30)
  • Two musical periods in C major (p. 31)
  • Menuett and Trio in G major, WAB 220 (p. 35)[22]
  • Marsch in C major, WAB 217/1 (p. 36)[23]
  • Marsch in D minor, WAB 217/2 (p. 37)[23]
  • Duo in A minor, WAB 213 (p. 39)[24]
  • Marsch in F major, WAB 217/3 (p. 41)[23]
  • Andante für Klavier in E-flat major, WAB 211/1 (p. 49)[25]
  • Andante für Klavier D minor, WAB 211/2 (pp. 50-51)[26]
  • Etüde in G major, WAB 214 (pp. 77–78)[27]
  • Chromatische Etüde in F major, WAB 212 (pp. 79-80)[28]
  • Five Variationen über ein Thema, WAB 223
    • Theme and variations in G major: p. 81
    • Theme and variations in A major: pp. 82–83
    • Theme and variations in A major: p. 84; also p. 86
    • Theme and variations in G major: pp. 84–85
    • Theme and variations in G major: pp. 87–90[29]
  • Theme in F major (p. 90)
  • Seven rondos, WAB 222[30][31]
    • Rondo in G major (pp. 105-108)
    • Rondo in C minor (pp. 109-111)
    • Rondo in D minor (pp. 112-115)
    • Rondo in F major (pp. 116-121)
    • Rondo in G major (pp. 122-125)
    • Rondo in E minor (pp. 126-129)
    • Rondo in E-flat major (pp. 130-134)
  • Five Sonatenentwürfe, WAB 242 (pp. 140–156)[32]
  • Four Fantasien[33]
    • Fantasie in D minor: pp. 213–214
    • Fantasie in C minor: pp. 215–216
    • Fantasie in E-flat major: pp. 216–217
    • Fantasie in F major: pp. 217–218
  • Five Klavierstücke, WAB 216 (pp. 225-227)[34]

Works for piano for four hands

  • Drei kleine Stücke, WAB 124, three easy pieces (G major, G major and F major), composed in 1853, 1854 and 1855 for the children of Josef Marböck, to be played on their father's birthday: Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/3, No. 1[10]
  • Quadrille, WAB 121, composed in c.1854 for Marie Ruckensteiner Gesamtausgabe, Band XII/3, No. 2.[35] It consists of six parts: Pantalon (A major), Été (D major), Poule (A major), Trénis (F major), Pastourelle (D minor) and Finale (E major). An Straussian orchestration of the piece by Wolfgang Dörner (*1959) was premiered by Christian Thielemann during the 2024 New Year's Concert.[36][37]

Selected discography

There are about 10 recordings of Erinnerung, WAB 117. The other piano compositions are much less recorded.

Seven recordings are dedicated to Bruckner's piano works:

  • Wolfgang Brunner and Michael Schopper, Anton Bruckner – Piano works – CD: CPO 999 256–2, 1996 (all the piano works issued in Band XII/2 and Band XII/3)
  • Fumiko Shiraga, Anton Bruckner – Piano works – CD: Bis-CD-1297, 2001 (the works issued in Band XII/2)
  • Ana-Marija Markovina and Rudolf Meister, Anton Bruckner (1824 - 1896), Piano Works – Hänssler Classic, HC17054, 2018 (all the piano works issued in Band XII/2 and Band XII/3, as well as 13 piano works from the Kitzler Study Book)
  • Francesco Pasqualotto, Bruckner Complete Piano Music – CD Brilliant Classics 95619, 2019 (the works issued in Band XII/2, and 21 piano works from the Kitzler Study Book)
  • Todor Petrov, Bruckner - L'œuvre pour piano seul - CD Forgotten Records FR 1998/9, 2021 (the works issued in Band XII/2, and 39 piano works from the Kitzler Study Book)
  • Christoph Eggner, Anton Bruckner - Klavierstücke aus dem Kitzler-Studienbuch - CD Gramola 99282, 2023 (24 piano works from the Kitzler Study Book on a restored Bösendorfer fortepiano which has belonged to Bruckner)
  • Mari Kodama Bruckner Piano Works – SACD PENTATONE PTC 5187 224, 2024 (the works issued in Band XII/2, and 10 piano works from the Kitzler Study Book)

References

Sources

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