Anton Bruckner composed about 20 lieder during his life, the earliest in c. 1845, the last in 1882. Most of the lieder were composed during his stay in the St. Florian Abbey (1845-1855) and his tuition by Otto Kitzler (1861-1862).
St. Florian and early Linz period
During his stay in St. Florian and in Linz before Kitzler's tuition, Bruckner composed three lieder and made sketches for two other lieder.
During the beginning of his stay in St. Florian, Bruckner made sketches for two lieder:
Mild wie die Bäche (So gentle as the creeks), WAB 138, a 31-bar sketch made in c. 1845 for a lied in A-flat major on a text of Ernst Marinelli. The manuscript, in which the piano accompaniment is incomplete, is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey. This Liedentwurf, of which a facsimile was first published in Band II/2, pp. 59–60, of the Göllerich/Auer biography, is edited in Band XXIII/1, Liedentwürfe, of the Bruckner's Gesamtausgabe.
Wie des Bächleins Silberquelle (As the creek's silvery source), WAB 137, a 60-bar sketch made in c. 1845 for a duet for two sopranos in G major on the same text as Ständchen, WAB 84 (Sämtliche Werke, Band XXIII/2, No. 3). The first part (bars 1-56) of the manuscript with incomplete piano accompaniment is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey, the remaining with bars 57-60 is found in the city museum of Wels. This Liedentwurf, of which a facsimile of the first part was first published in Band II/2, pp. 65–66, of the Göllerich/Auer biography, is edited in Band XXIII/1, Liedentwürfe, of the Bruckner's Gesamtausgabe.
Thereafter, Bruckner composed three lieder:
Der Mondabend (The moonlit evening), WAB deest, a 13-bar lied in A major composed in c. 1850 for Aloisia Bogner on a text by Johann Gottfried Kumpf. The lied is part of the workbook "Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Clavier-Begleitung für Fräulein Louise Bogner", which has been retrieved in the Landesmuseum of Upper Austria. The workbook has been issued in 2015 by the Anton Bruckner Institut Linz.
Frühlingslied (Spring song), WAB 68, a 24-bar lied in A major, composed in 1851 for the name-day of Aloisia Bogner on a text by Heinrich Heine. The lied is edited in Band XXIII/1, No. 1, of the Bruckner's Gesamtausgabe.
Wie bist du, Frühling, gut und treu (Springtime, how good and faithful you are), WAB 58, a 102-bar lied in G major composed in 1856 on five strophes of Oskar von Redwitz' Amaranths Waldeslieder. The lied is edited in Band XXIII/1, No. 2, of the Bruckner's Gesamtausgabe.
The lieder and sketches, which Bruckner composed in 1861-1862 as exercises during Kitzler's tuition, are found in the Kitzler-Studienbuch:
O habt die Thräne gern (1st setting), a 16-bar lied in A minor: Kitzler-Studienbuch, pp. 18–19
Nachglück (1st setting), a 16-bar lied in C major: Kitzler-Studienbuch, p. 19
Herzeleid, a 16-bar lied in E minor: Kitzler-Studienbuch, p. 20
Nachglück (2nd setting), a 16-bar lied in F major: Kitzler-Studienbuch, p. 21
Von der schlummernden Mutter, a 20-bar lied in F major: Kitzler-Studienbuch, p. 22
Des Baches Frühlingsfeier, a 22-bar lied in D minor: Kitzler-Studienbuch, p. 23
Wie neid ich Dich, du stolzer Wald, a-24 bar lied in E-flat major: Kitzler-Studienbuch, p. 24
O habt die Thräne gern (2nd setting), a 32-bar lied in A minor: Kitzler-Studienbuch, p. 42
Last des Herzens, a 32-bar lied in E-flat major: Kitzler-Studienbuch, p. 43
Es regnet, a 24-bar sketch for a lied in E minor: Kitzler-Studienbuch, pp. 46–47
Wunsch, a 32-bar sketch for a lied: Kitzler-Studienbuch, pp. 47–48
Der Trompeter an der Katzbach, a 90-bar lied in F minor on a text by Julius Mosen: Kitzler-Studienbuch, pp. 207–213
After the end of Kitzler's tuition, during his later stay in Linz and in Vienna, Bruckner composed four other lieder:
Herbstkummer (Autumnal sorrow), WAB 72, a 62-bar lied in E minor composed in April 1864 on a text by "Ernst".
Im April (In April), WAB 75, a 73-bar lied in A-flat major composed in c. 1865 on a text by Emanuel Geibel.
Mein Herz und deine Stimme (My heart and your voice), WAB 79, a 60-bar lied in A major composed in 1868 on a text by August von Platen.
Volkslied (National hymn), WAB 94, a 34-bar composition in C major composed in 1882 on a text by Josef Winter. Bruckner composed it, as well as a second setting for men's choir (Sämtliche Werke, Band XXIII/2, No. 32), for a competition für eines sangbares Nationallied (for a singable National hymn).
These lieder are edited in in Band XXIII/1, Nos. 3 to 6, of the Gesamtausgabe:
There are only two commercial recordings with Bruckner's lieder:
Marie Luise Bart-Larsson (soprano), Gernot Martzy (piano), Kammermusikalische Kostbarkeiten von Anton Bruckner – CD: Weinberg Records SW 01 036-2, 1996 (only Herbstkummer and Mein Herz und deine Stimme)
Robert Holzer (bass), Thomas Kerbl (piano), Anton Bruckner - Lieder/Magnificat – CD: LIVA 046, 2011 (the lieder issued in the Gesamtausgabe, except the Volkslied)
Reissue as
Anton Bruckner - Lieder, Chöre, Magnificat – CD: Gramola 99071, 2015, with, in addition, the in the meantime retrieved
Der Mondabend.
NB: The lieder are transposed to match Holzer's tessitura.
There is as yet no recording of the lieder composed during Kitzler's tuition.
