Travel tips for classic lovers – Ansfelden and Anton Bruckner

Bruckner was born on September 4, 1824, the first of 11 children in humble circumstances. His father was a village school teacher with additional musical duties in the church. This humble background shaped Bruckner throughout his life, who remained a simple, modest and almost shy person. He was prepared for a career as a teacher at an early age, and at the age of eleven was already performing his first school supervisions as a substitute for his father. His father recognized his musical talent and taught him to play the organ. When Bruckner was eleven years old, his father sent him to his cousin in Hörsching, who trained him further on the organ. When Anton was thirteen, his father died suddenly. The many nights he spent playing at dances in inns to support his family had worn the man out. The penniless widow managed to place Anton in the Floriansstift (an augustinian monastery) near Linz and she left Ansfelden with the surviving four children for Ebelsberg.