Pedal point in Bruckner's 7th Symphony

Anton Bruckner (1824-1896), primarily recognized today for his choral music and monumental symphonic masterpieces, was also a renowned organist in his time (as portrayed in this silhouette by Otto Böhler). In fact, many have noted the organ-like nature of his symphonies - the intricate Bach-like counterpoint or the thunderous brass chords followed by silence to allow them to reverberate - and these works are often performed and recorded in cathedrals, presumably to augment this acoustic effect.

This astonishing excerpt from the 7th Symphony is an enormous pedal point, a harmonic term describing a sustained tone (most often in the bass) over which dissonant harmonies are played (click here for a more complete explanation). The term originates, of course, from organ music, in which the pedal can be held down indefinitely by the foot while the hands play changing harmonies above. In this passage (which can only be heard well at full volume with headphones), the pedal point is played by the double-basses and the timpani (rolling), but instead of playing just a few dissonant harmonies, the rest of the orchestra actually modulates to various other keys (this kind of harmonic meandering is the hallmark of Bruckner’s thematic material) while the pedal point remains constant. Eventually, as required by the definition of a pedal point, the harmonies return to consonance at the end of the excerpt. The result is one of the most breathtaking moments in the symphonic literature.