Page "Anton Bruckner" Paragraph 5

Anton Bruckner was born in Ansfelden ( then a village, now a suburb of Linz ) on 4 September 1824.

The ancestors of Bruckner's family were farmers and craftsmen ; their history has been tracked back to the 16th century.

They lived near a bridge south of Sindelburg, which led to them being called " Pruckhner an der Pruckhen ".

Bruckner's grandfather had gained the schoolmaster position in Ansfelden in 1776 ; this position was inherited by Bruckner's father, Anton Bruckner senior in 1823.

It was a poorly paid but well-respected position in the rural environment.

Music belonged to the school curriculum, and Bruckner's father was his first music teacher.

Bruckner learned to play the organ early as a child.

He entered school when he was six, proved to be a hard-working student, and was promoted to upper class early.

While studying, Bruckner also helped his father in teaching the other children.

After Bruckner received his confirmation in 1833, Bruckner's father sent him to another school in Hörsching.

The schoolmaster, Johann Baptist Weiß, was a music enthusiast and respected organist.

Here, Bruckner completed his school education and learned to play the organ excellently.

He also wrote his first composition, Vier Präludien in Es-Dur für Orgel for the organ.

However, biographers do not regard the work as exceptional ; in his youth, Bruckner was gifted, but not a genius.

When his father became ill, Anton returned to Ansfelden to help him in his work.