# Bruckner's 7th Symphony - has anyone noticed this different note in the Adagio?



## Bruce Morrison (Mar 8, 2010)

Bruckner is one of my favourite composers and I have many recordings of the 7th Symphony (my wife would say _too_ many!). For a long time, I've been aware that, towards the end of the Adagio, there is one note played by the so-called "Wagner tubas" that differs between recordings.

I've now obtained a score based on the Novak edition (published by Eulenberg) to identify where this difference occurs. For those with a score, it's at bar 189 of the Adagio (four bars before rehearsal letter Y). The first tenor tuba has a three-note phrase, which is shown in the score as D F C#. However, in some recordings, the second note is played as E instead of F.

For those without a score, this difference occurs at the end of the passage for the Wagner tubas, just before the horns enter with that wonderful ascending phrase with a crescendo to ff. Bruckner is supposed to have composed this whole part of the Adagio on hearing of the death of Wagner in 1883.

As the tenor tuba has the "melody" at this point, this difference is quite noticeable and I'm surprised that it seems to have been ignored in any essays or discussions about the symphony.

For example, conductors such as Jochum, Karajan and Wand consistently used the 'F version' whereas Haitink and Bohm consistently used the 'E version'. Other conductors have not been consistent. For example, Celibidache used the 'F version' in his 1971 Stuttgart recording on DG but the 'E version' in various later recordings with the Munich PO and Berlin PO. Klemperer used the 'F version' in his 1960 EMI recording but the 'E version' in various concert performances released by Testament and Medici Arts. And Giulini used the 'E version' in his 1986 DG recording but the 'F version' in two previous concert performances released by Testament and BBC Legends.

I first got to know the symphony from Karajan's 1970 EMI recording, so the 'F version' has always seemed the "correct" version to me. The 'E version' obviously works as well, but still slightly jars on me.

I don't think this difference is explained simply by which edition (Novak, Haas, etc.) of the score is used. As I mentioned, the Novak score shows the note as F, but I know that, for example, Karajan always used the Haas edition, and his recordings also use the 'F version'.

So have other people noticed this difference? And can anyone throw any light on how it arose and which scores have been published showing the note as E?


----------



## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

interesting, I'll check it out...thanx.


----------



## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

IMSLP contains the scan copy of the original manuscript by Bruckner, here is an F clearly indicated.

Both Novak and Haas contain the same F note (as per IMSLP website).

This version definitely sounds "right" to my ears.


----------

