BRUCKNER, Anton [1824-1896]: Death notice. Todesanzeige Bruckners. Wien, Ch. Reisser & M. Werthner, 12. Oktober 1896. Quarto 232 x 295mm. 1 leaf with elaborate blind-stamped black mourning frame. Punched and folded, with minimal marginal tears. Addressed and franked to Jean Louis Nicodé.

Exceptional Bruckner Cimelie: His death notice. Extremely rare collector's item, for us only two other copies besides this one traceable in trade and auctions since 1950. The obituary is addressed to the Kapellmeister, composer and his friend Jean-Louis Nicodé (1853-1919) in Dresden. Nicodé was an enthusiastic supporter of Bruckner and worked intensively for the performance of his works. Among other things, he performed the 7th Symphony with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Dresden in 1887. - In July 1896, Bruckner had survived a dangerous pneumonia at the age of 72, from which he had recovered to some extent, but was still quite battered and weakened overall. In the beautiful first days of October, he still walked a quarter of an hour a day. "Saturday, October 10, Dr. Weismayer was still with him and left him in good condition. In the evening Bruckner still entered his daily prayers in his calendar, as he always did, and went to rest. The following Sunday, Bruckner felt particularly well, left his bed and ate breakfast with great pleasure, then sat down at the piano to work on the finale of the Ninth. ...At 1/2 1 o'clock, arrived by proxy.... Dr. Sorgo. He found nothing remarkable in the patient's condition.... The master was satisfied... About 3 o'clock in the afternoon he complained that he was cold.... The two put the master to bed...Bruckner sipped the bowl [of tea] three times, then sank back into the pillows...took two deep breaths and - passed away." (Göllerich/Auer) Furthermore: " ... In recognition of Bruckner's great services to domestic art, the City Council passed the unanimous resolution to organize the funeral celebration for the deceased master at the expense of the City of Vienna. ... The funeral of the master was of truly princely splendor. In all the streets through which the procession moved, the street lamps were burning.... Hundreds, however, went out to the Belvedere, where the corpse awaited transfer, and thousands stood in the streets to see what funeral journey Vienna would prepare for the dead artist." The funeral procession and the funeral ceremony were worthy of the great deceased master. The metal coffin was closed and soldered in the house of mourning at 1:30 p.m., carried out at 3 p.m., and was then accompanied by the mayor of the city of Vienna, many important representatives of public life, academic institutions, the music scene, etc., and a large crowd on its way to the Karlskirche, where it arrived at 3:45 p.m. for the consecration. Hugo Wolf and even the already death-stricken Johannes Brahms, who had severely criticized Bruckner for years, demonizing him as a poor crazy person with symphonic giant snakes, also paid their respects to the master there. In the church, Hans Richter conducted the Funeral Adagio from Bruckner's Seventh Symphony, which had been arranged for the brass by Ferd. Löwe. At 4:15 p.m. the coffin was carried out again and, after a speech in front of the church, escorted to the Westbahnhof, where it was loaded into the last car of a passenger train that departed shortly after 5 a.m. to transport Anton Bruckner's mortal remains to St. Florian. - Göllerich/Auer, IV/3, p. 578ff.