Anton Bruckner was born in Ansfelden, Austria, in 1824, and did not have a particularly easy life. Coming from a simple, rural background, the Austrian composer was plagued by self-doubt throughout his life. After his father's death, he was admitted at the age of 13 as a child singer at Sankt Florian Abbey. After several years as a school assistant and self-taught organ and piano studies, he first worked as an organist at Sankt Florian. In 1855, he was appointed organist at Linz Cathedral. After being introduced to music theory and instrumentation by Simon Sechter and Otto Kitzler, Bruckner discovered Richard Wagner as an artistic role model, whom he admired throughout his life and also visited on several occasions in Bayreuth.
In 1868, Anton Bruckner became professor of continuo, counterpoint and organ at the Vienna Conservatory, and ten years later court organist.
The responsory Libera me from the Requiem Mass dates from
Bruckner's years of study in Kronstorf and is stylistically reminiscent
of the early Viennese classical period. The organ takes over the
function of the basso continuo.
