A Chance to Hear Bruckner's Kyrie in Es-Dur
In some cases however, no recording existed. One such case was the Kyrie in Es-Dur (No. 43 in the study score) which was written between 1845 and 1848. Now Ed Banta in the US has transcribed this score using notation software and has given us an opportunity to hear this early sketch. Mr. Banta writes, Upon receiving Hans Roelofs' Kleine Kirchenmusikwerke CDs, I noted that there were no recordings available for Nos. 42 & 43. The absence of No. 42 (Kyrie g-Moll, a single page with two partial vocal lines and a continuo) is no great loss; No. 43 (Kyrie Es-Dur) is, however, a much longer and more elaborate sketch. Because I was curious about how it might sound, I transcribed it. Unfortunately, my notation software does not offer useful choral sounds; I therefore replaced the voices with (hopefully) appropriate instruments, chosen to make the vocal lines recognizable during playback. I used an oboe for the sopranos, an English horn for the altos, a trombone for the tenors, and a tuba for the bass. The limitations of my sound card also necessitated my using a brisk tempo during playback. The sketch ends abruptly after measure 57; however, if one stops with the full cadence at the beginning of measure 51 (1:50 into the recording), the result becomes (to my mind) a very nice little Bruckner miniature. You can download the file and listen for yourself. The study score is available for sale in the web store. |
