The Austrian composer Anton Bruckner (1824–1896) is rightfully regarded today as one of the greatest symphonists in musical history. Celebrated by his followers and ridiculed by his opponents, his life was marked by profound self-doubt. A defining moment is the story of what was actually his second symphony; following a critical question from a conductor, Bruckner "annulled" the work, which is why it is performed today as his "Symphony No. 0." The following piece cites Bruckner's 7th Symphony in several places. ____________________________________ [Intro] You sit at your desk, deep lines on your face Looking at your notes, lost in time and space A silent sigh escapes your lips tonight You hold the pages close to the candle light You want to tear them up, or give them to the flame But something stops your hand, something calls your name You take the pen, your heart is filled with dread And write a word of stone upon the page instead: "Annulled. Invalid. Void." [Verse 1] Maybe deep inside, you knew what they were worth Before these melodies could even find their birth A single sentence turned your work to dust Your Second Symphony lost its light and trust When the conductor asked: "Where is the theme?" It shattered every hope and every dream You were your hardest judge, your own worst enemy But now your echo rings through history You came from dust and organ light so bright With open soul, you stepped into the night You carried giant halls within your mind While standing on a ground you couldn't find. [Chorus] Later they would call you a genius, a king But you knelt before the chords you tried to sing They hear eternity in every single tone But you heard only doubt when you were all alone You heard the critics with their words so cold and grim A jagged blade that tore you limb from limb Anton, builder of worlds, seeker of the light Why did you never believe you were right? [Verse 2] You questioned every work like a judge in court Rewriting every line, seeking a safe port What looks to us like stars and solid stone Was just a risk for you, a secret to be known Your faith was both a shield and a burning wound A place to hide where harmony was found You searched for God within the symphony Because the world of men was never home to thee. [Pre-Chorus 2] You were no flatterer, you were real and true A man of the soil with a different view With a heavy accent and your simple ways A stranger in the city’s golden maze They laughed at your manners, they called you a fool While you broke every limit and every rule They mocked the surface, so cold and unkind Blind to the divine within your mind. [Chorus] Later they would call you a genius, a king But you knelt before the chords you tried to sing They hear eternity in every single tone But you heard only doubt when you were all alone Anton, builder of worlds, seeker of the light Why did you never believe you were right? [Bridge] Now we stand inside the halls you built from sound Born from courage that you never thought you found The things you buried deep, the things you called a lie Are now the truths that reach up to the sky You were greater than the mirror on the wall Stronger than the fear that made you feel so small The silence speaks for you, the verdict is now clear. [Break] Not everyone who wavers is weak Not everyone who doubts is lost Some carry the weight of eternity In trembling hands. [Final Chorus] They call you a genius—and this time you can stay They hear eternity—and you can hear it play Anton, son of doubt, father of the grace You finally can look them in the face The work you left behind, the infinite design Beyond your human fear, it will forever shine. [Outro] Rest now, Anton The world is standing still We hear what you could never hear And we always will: That you were enough. If there is a God above Then He spoke to us today Through the music that you made In His own holy way He spoke through you.
