For more great classical content, visit www.colstonhall.org 10 things you didn’t know about… Bruckner - Bruckner suffered from numeromania, a condition that saw him count the leaves on trees and the windows in buildings. Ken Russell made a film about it for the South Bank Show, entitled ‘The Strange Affliction of Anton Bruckner’. - He wrote eleven symphonies, ten of which he completed. Confusingly, No. 8 is the last one he finished, as he relegated two works to No. 0 and No. 00. No. 9 is incomplete, but among his greatest works. - Knowing which edition to perform is a constant headache for conductors, as Bruckner revised every one of his symphonies up until his death. - Bruckner was a fine organist and one of the greatest improvisers. Sadly or organists, he wrote nothing of note for the instrument. - Bruckner only started composing seriously from the age of 37, a couple of years older then Mozart was when he died. - At his request, Bruckner was buried under the organ at St Florian, where he served from the age of 24 for seven years. - Bruckner never married, despite proposing to several women. It’s thought he went to the grave a chaste man. - Each of Bruckner’s symphonies is huge in scope and ambition – Brahms called them symphonic ‘boa constrictors’. - Bruckner’s music has suffered from associations with Hitler, whose favourite Symphony was No. 7. It was played on German radio following his death in 1945. - A nervous breakdown struck Bruckner in 1866, for which he spent three months in a sanatorium.

1. www.colstonhall.org/classical
10 things you didn’t
know about…
Bruckner

2. www.colstonhall.org/classical
Bruckner suffered from numeromania, a
condition that saw him count the leaves
on trees and the windows in buildings.
Ken Russell made a film about it
for the South Bank Show, entitled ‘The
Strange Affliction of Anton Bruckner’.

3. www.colstonhall.org/classical
He wrote eleven symphonies, ten of
which he completed.
Confusingly, No. 8 is the last one he
finished, as he relegated two works to
No. 0 and No. 00.
No. 9 is incomplete, but among his
greatest works.

4. www.colstonhall.org/classical
Knowing which edition to perform is a
constant headache for conductors,
as Bruckner revised every one of his
symphonies up until his death.

5. www.colstonhall.org/classical
Bruckner was a fine
organist and one
of the greatest
improvisers. Sadly
for organists, he
wrote nothing
of note for the
instrument.

6. www.colstonhall.org/classical
Bruckner only started composing seriously
from the age of 37, a couple of years older
than Mozart was when he died.

7. www.colstonhall.org/classical
At his request, Bruckner was buried under
the organ at St Florian, where he served
from the age of 24 for seven years.

8. www.colstonhall.org/classical
Bruckner never
married, despite
proposing to
several women.
It’s thought he
went to the grave
a chaste man.

9. www.colstonhall.org/classical
Each of Bruckner’s
symphonies is huge in
scope and ambition
– Brahms called them
symphonic ‘boa
constrictors’.

10. www.colstonhall.org/classical
Bruckner’s music
has suffered from
associations
with Hitler,
whose favourite
Symphony
was No. 7. It
was played on
German radio
following his
death in 1945.

11. www.colstonhall.org/classical
A nervous breakdown struck Bruckner in
1866, for which he spent three months in
a sanatorium.

12. www.colstonhall.org/classical
For more great classical content:
www.colstonhall.org/classical