Anton Bruckner (4 September 1824 – 11 October 1896) is an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets.

The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, strongly polyphonic character, and considerable length.

Bruckner's compositions help to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing to their dissonances, unprepared modulations, and roving harmonies.

Unlike other musical radicals, such as Richard Wagner or Hugo Wolf who fits the enfant terrible mold, Bruckner shows extreme humility before other musicians, Wagner in particular.

This apparent dichotomy between Bruckner the man and Bruckner the composer hampers efforts to describe his life in a way that gives a straightforward context for his music.

His works, the symphonies in particular, have detractors, most notably the influential Austrian critic Eduard Hanslick, and other supporters of Johannes Brahms (and detractors of Wagner), who point to their large size, use of repetition, and Bruckner's propensity to revise many of his works, often with the assistance of colleagues, and his apparent indecision about which versions he prefers.

On the other hand, Bruckner is greatly admired by subsequent composers, including his friend Gustav Mahler, who describes him as "half simpleton, half God".

(Mahler: A Musical Physiognomy, by Theodor W. Adorno, University of Chicago Press, 1996, page 66)