12. Research issues.

A principal challenge for Bruckner scholarship is a reassessment of the music and its historical position. That the composer remains cloaked in an almost exclusively Wagnerian mantle is no longer justifiable. Although he admired Wagner and often made references to his music, aesthetically, politically, philosophically and even musically, the two men were far apart. All evidence indicates that during periods of self-analysis Bruckner turned to the music of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert rather than to Wagner. In view of the Classical roots of his symphonic and choral styles, theorists have begun to explain his composition techniques in relation to Classical precedents.

Bruckner continues to pose serious source-critical problems. The chronology and significance of his layers of metrical numbers, and the purpose of the marginalia concerning part-writing in his late orchestration, for example, remain far from clear. Deciphering his complex manuscripts, in which many revisions may have been superimposed, is difficult. Issues of authenticity will continue to be decided on the basis of careful re-examination of the primary sources. For information about Bruckner's life, scholars have relied mainly on the indispensable though often unreliable biography Anton Bruckner: ein Lebens- und Schaffensbild (1922–37), begun by August Göllerich (whom Bruckner appointed to be his official biographer) and completed by Max Auer. Perhaps now the most important task is to remove the layers of special interest which accumulated during the 20th century. Archival research by the Anton Bruckner Institut Linz should continue to add to knowledge of his activities, especially those of his early years. The collected edition of Bruckner's letters will be a major contribution. There is still much to learn about his personal views, musical and otherwise, in particular concerning the socio-political issues encountered during the years in Vienna.

Finally, largely unaddressed is the question of Bruckner's influence on later composers. Some of the outstanding composers of the younger generation, including Mahler and Wolf, were devoted to him; Sibelius and Richard Strauss made efforts to obtain and study his music. Later, Hindemith was a champion of the symphonies and Ligeti professed his admiration for Bruckner. At the end of the 20th century, the extent to which the symphonies and choral works of this ‘modest Viennese church musician’ had an impact on the careers of others remained to be explored.