Bertold Hummel dedicated the work “In memoriam Anton Bruckner” for organ, Op. 91a, to Erwin Horn.

Biography
Erwin Horn, born in Würzburg in 1940, studied theology, education, music theory and church music in his home town, as well as Gregorian chant in Essen. From 1971 to 1977 he was the first regional cantor of the Diocese of Würzburg; from 1977 to 1980 he was a lecturer in organ and music theory at the Regensburg School of Church Music; from 1980 to 1997 he was a lecturer in music theory, and from 1997 to 2001 he was director of the Hermann Zilcher Conservatoire in Würzburg. Following its integration into the Würzburg University of Music, he served as press officer there. Drawing on his work in music education, Erwin Horn developed and published treatises on music theory concerning modal and Baroque compositional techniques. Following the publication of the Catholic standard hymn book ‘Gotteslob’, he oversaw the publication of the accompanying organ book and edited ‘Orgelstücke zum Gotteslob’. In addition to research, lectures and publications on Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Franz Schmidt, Richard Wagner, Girolamo Frescobaldi and Hans Rott, he has devoted particular attention to the life and work of Anton Bruckner. The Würzburg Bruckner Festivals (1993, 1996, 1999, 2002) were organised not least on his initiative. In 2002, he initiated the founding of the International Hans Rott Society in Vienna whilst in Würzburg. His in-depth exploration of orchestral sound structures on the one hand, and the Romantic sonic possibilities of the organ on the other, is evident in a wide range of transcriptions and CD recordings of symphonic movements by Anton Bruckner and other Romantic composers, as well as in organ versions of extensive opera parts by Richard Wagner. Erwin Horn presents the sonic realisation of these works in CD recordings. In 2010, he was awarded the Golden Bruckner Medal by the Upper Austrian Bruckner Society in recognition of his services to Bruckner research. Erwin Horn died on 11 July 2025 in Würzburg.