''Drei Chöre'' (Three chorale compositions),
Op. 6, is a set of three compositions for mixed choir and piano by
Max Reger, composed before 2 August 1892 in Wiesbaden. The texts are poems by three poets:
# ''Trost''
# ''Zur Nacht''
# ''Abendbild''
History
Reger composed the three settings before 2 August 1892 in Wiesbaden. Dedicated to , they were published by
Augener & Co Augener & Co. was a music-publishing business in London, established by George Augener (1830–1915), originally "Georg", a German national born in Fechenheim near Frankfurt am Main, who had previously been an apprentice with André's publishing ho ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, probably before mid of May 1893, with an English translation by C. Hugo Laubach.
Movements
1
The text of ''Trost'' (''Consolation'') is a poem by , beginning with the line "Es ist kein Weh auf Erden" (There is no suffering on earth).
2
The text of ''Zur Nacht'' (''At Night'') is a poem by Franz Engel with the
incipit "Nun fallen die Augen müde mir zu" (Now my tired eyes close).
3
The text of ''Abendbild'' (''Evening Image'') is a poem by
Nicolaus Lenau beginning with "Friedlicher Abend senkt sich aufs Gefild" (Peaceful evening sinks on the fields).
Performance and recording
The first and third work were early performed on 11 December 1906 in
Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg () is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Prussia, it is best known for Charlottenburg Palace, the ...
, conducted by Lili Menar. The second piece was performed on 22 November 1911 in Berlin, conducted by John Petersen.
The three ''Chöre'' were recorded in 2009 in a collection of Reger's choral works, along with the
Hebbel Requiem, among others, by the chamber choir Consortium and the pianist
Christopher Glynn
Christopher Glynn is a British classical pianist and festival director. He is especially known for his work as an accompanist with many leading singers and for his work as Artistic Director of the Ryedale Festival.
Biography
Born in Leicest ...
, conducted by
Andrew-John Smith.
Autograph
The
autograph
An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Inter ...
of the work was acquired in 2014 by the
Max-Reger-Institute
The Max-Reger-Institute (MRI) is a musicological research institute and archive in Karlsruhe, Germany, dedicated to the work of the composer Max Reger, a representative of German music around the turn of the 20th century. An associated foundation ...
from the dissolved archive of the
Schott Verlag in Mainz. Susanne Popp, a Reger scholar and the director of the institute, notes that in Opus 6, Reger noticed reading the proofs from the publisher that his handwriting was a problem because of many
dynamic markings in addition to many notes, and that he therefore began to write the dynamics in red, a habit he kept for life. The autograph was presented in an exhibition of the
Baden State Library in 2015, in preparation for the Reger Year 2016.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Drei Chore
Choral compositions
Compositions by Max Reger