Mass No. 3 in F minor: Mass, Orchestra Accompaniment, Alto Part

Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) completed the 1st version of his Mass No. 3 in F minor in 1863, as Otto Kitzler was introducing him to the music of Richard Wagner, the composer he would emulate for the rest of his life. John Herbeck, who conducted the initial rehearsals for its premiere at the Augustinerkirch on June 16, 1872, warmly declared that it stood beside Beethoven's Missa Solemnis in greatness. Bruckner, often self-critical as a composer, went on to revise the work no less than four times until it was finally published it in 1894. More often heard today in the concert hall than in the church, the sprawling, hour-long work is admired today for its powerful directness. This critical edition was created in 1944 for the Bruckner Gesamtausgabe by Robert Maria Haas.