Abstract
This paper presents two choruses by Anton Bruckner that are rarely included in the standard repertoire, Trauungschor WAB 49 and Zur Vermählungsfeier WAB 54. The analytical approach starts from Bruckner’s literary sources, namely the two Austrian poets Franz Isidor Proschko and Heinrich Wallmann, who were contemporaries of the composer. An overview of Bruckner’s work highlights the significance of these two choruses within the composer’s broader oeuvre, deeply rooted in the Catholic tradition and influenced by both Beethoven’s legacy and the Wagnerian style of the time. Details of these choral miniatures’ creative context and purpose reveal their socially cohesive role. The score analysis emphasizes the connection between the lyrics and the music, starting with the persuasive repetition of certain key words in the poetic text, and continuing with the choices of timbres and writing styles, which reveal lasting ties to the church music tradition and the Romantic choral one. The harmonic structure of the choruses, though differently conceived (more direct in Trauungschor, and more sinuous in Zur Vermählungsfeier), is governed by the harmonic relationship of the third. However, a thorough analysis of the harmonic fabric, still anchored in tonality, reveals Neo-Renaissance modal colours. The study concludes with the present-day reception of the two choruses, a phenomenon that clarifies the lack of popularity of this repertoire for male choruses, approached particularly by specialists. Personal performances by The Hilliard Ensemble and Philipp Sonntag are given as examples.

Keywords: Anton Bruckner, Trauungschor, Zur Vermählungsfeier

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DOI: 10.47809/MP.2025.40.01.03

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