LEOPOLD BRUENNER:

March 16, 1869 Leopold G. Bruenner born to Georg Bruenner, a trader in home produce, of Steinsfeld , Germany (near Habfurt am Main) and his wife Maria Anna Schleicher of Lauda an der Tauber, Germany. Baptized in the Catholic Church of Parish of St. Peter and Paul in the city of Wurzburg, Germany. Attended Royal Conservatory of Music, Wurzburg, Germany. Circa 1883 Emigrated to America. 1883-1887 Attended St. John's University, Collegeville, Minn. Vice-president of the English Literary Society, received Gold Medal of Merit in elocution, and graduated June 22, 1887. 1891 Played Clarinet in Fred Will Orchestra, St. Paul, Minn. Final naturalization, June, 1891. Choirmaster and organist of St. Matthew's Catholic Church. 1897-1956 Choirmaster and organist of St. Luke's Catholic Church, St. Paul, Minn. 1898-1903 Conductor of the St. Thomas College glee club, St. Paul, Minn. 1899-? Taught Gregorian chant at St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. 1901-1902 Charter member of the Minnesota Music Teachers Association (MMTA). Taught piano, theory, and composition privately. 1909-1917 Organized and conducted the St. Paul Choral Art Society, a select group which sang masterpieces ranging from the Renaissance to Modern. Conducted the Knights of Columbus Chorus, the Stillwater Choral Society, and the Saegerbund des Nordwesterns (opera performances by the Knights of Columbus). 1913-1914 President, Minnesota Music Teachers Association. Composer of what Professor Robert Laudon had called the First School of Minnesota Composers. Other members of this school include Gustavus Johnson, Willard Patton, J. Victor Berquist, Stanley Avery, Donald Ferguson, Gertrude Sans Souci, Clarence Marshall, George Fairclough, William Mentor Crosse, Ernest Lachmund, Robert Griggs Gale, Emil Oberhoffer, etc. The Second School would be at the time of Krenek and Aliferis, during the 1940s and 1950s, and the Third would be the present-day Minnesota Composers Forum. 1918-1919 State Director of Liberty Choruses under the Public Safety Commission. 1919-1927 Organized and directed the St. Paul Municipal Chorus (reorganized as the Choral Art Society of Saint Paul), the first municipal chorus in the U.S. Resigned when the new church and organ at St. Luke's Catholic Church required his undivided attention. 1920-1931 Taught chorus and orchestra at St. Catherine's College, St. Paul, Minn. Also taught at the Visitation Convent Academy, St. Paul, Minn. 1956 Testimonial concert given Dec. 17 in Bruenner's honor by the St. Paul Chapter of the Guild of Catholic Organists and Choirmasters. Retired. 1963 Died at home, 304 Brimhall St., St. Paul, Minn., on Nov. 21. Funeral services at St. Luke's and burial at Cavalry Cemetery on Nov. 25.

The above chronology compiled by Robert Tallant Laudon, Professor Emeritus of Musicology, University of Minnesota, [1995?].

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The papers include musical scores, scrapbooks (photocopied and original), newspaper clippings, and photographs that document Bruenner's 65-year career as a composer, choirmaster, and organist in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Bruenner's musical scores (undated and 1917-1953) consist of both published and original manuscripts. Among the compositions are secular and sacred songs, hymns and motets; and masses including his In Paradisum (1921?), Requium Mass, Mass in Honor of St. Cathrine of Alexandria (1926), Ave Maria (1942), Our Father (1950), Cradle Song (1932), Oh, Dinna Ask Me (1947), and Song of Freedom (1952). A list of Bruenner's works compiled by Robert Laudon is included with the scores. The list is arranged by musical category and provides the following information pertaining to each composition: format (manuscript or print); title; dedication, date, and publisher; medium of performance; and where the works may be found.

One scrapbook (1908-1954) has been photocopied and bound and contains musical programs, correspondence, and newspaper clippings related to the organizations and activities connected with Bruenner's career as outlined in the chronology above. The other (1933-1937) contains musical programs, correspondence, and newspaper clippings about the St. Paul Municipal Chorus, renamed the Choral Art Society of Saint Paul in 1935. There is also a folder containing correspondence, a small number of newspaper clippings, and notes related to the donor's research on Bruenner.

The photographs include portraits of Bruenner (undated and 1909, 1942), a photograph of St. Luke's String Ensemble (June 22, 1947), and a color photograph of a papal blessing given to Bruenner on his 65th anniversary as a teacher of sacred music (Oct. 27, 1956).

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Leopold Bruenner Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 15,201

Processing Information:

Processed by Frank P. Hennessy, January 1998.

Catalog ID number: 990017345510104294

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Choral conductors -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Church music -- Catholic Church.

Composers -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Hymns.

Lullabies, American.

Motets.

Music -- Minnesota.

Organists -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Sacred songs.

Organizations:

Choral Art Society of Saint Paul (Saint Paul, Minn.)

St. Paul Municipal Chorus (Saint Paul, Minn.)

Document Types:

Scores.

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