Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (17 March 1839 – 25 November 1901) was a Liechtensteiner

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

, residing in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

for most of his life.

Life

Josef Gabriel Rheinberger, whose father was the treasurer for Aloys II, Prince of Liechtenstein, showed exceptional musical talent at an early age. Rheinberger-Geburtshaus-P2014331a

When only seven years old, he was already serving as organist of the

Vaduz Vaduz ( or , High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' Hrsg. ...

parish church, and his first composition was performed the following year. In 1849, he studied with composer Philipp M. Schmutzer (31 December 1821 – 17 November 1898) in

Feldkirch, Vorarlberg Feldkirch () is a medieval town in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg, bordering on Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is the administrative centre of the Feldkirch district. After Dornbirn, it is the second most populous town in Vorar ...

. In 1851, his father, who had initially opposed his son's desire to embark on the life of a professional musician, relented and allowed him to enter the Munich Conservatorium. Not long after graduating, he became professor of

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and of composition at the same institution. When this first version of the Munich Conservatorium was dissolved, he was appointed '' répétiteur'' at the Court Theatre, from which he resigned in 1867. Josef and Fanny Rheinberger

Rheinberger married his former pupil, the poet and socialite Franziska "Fanny" von Hoffnaass (eight years his senior) in 1867. The couple remained childless, but the marriage was happy. Franziska wrote the texts for much of her husband's vocal work. The stylistic influences on Rheinberger ranged from contemporaries such as

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

to composers from earlier times, such as

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sym ...

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

and, above all,

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

. He was also an enthusiast for painting and literature (especially English and German). In 1877 he was appointed court conductor, responsible for the music in the royal chapel. He was subsequently awarded an honorary doctorate by

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's sixth-oldest university in continuous operatio ...

. A distinguished teacher, he numbered many Americans among his pupils, including

Horatio Parker Horatio William Parker (September 15, 1863 – December 18, 1919) was an American composer, organist and teacher. He was a central figure in musical life in New Haven, Connecticut in the late 19th century, and is best remembered as the undergr ...

, William Berwald, George Whitefield Chadwick, Bruno Klein,

Sidney Homer Sidney Homer, Sr. (9 December 1864 – 10 July 1953) was a classical composer, primarily of songs. Biography Homer was the youngest child born to deaf parents in Boston, Massachusetts on December 9, 1864 (some sources use 1865). He attended ...

and Henry Holden Huss. Other students of his included important figures from Europe: Italian composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Serbian composer Stevan Stojanovic Mokranjac, and German composers Engelbert Humperdinck and

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

and the conductor (and composer) Wilhelm Furtwängler. When the second (and present) Munich Conservatorium was founded, Rheinberger was appointed Royal Professor of organ and composition, a post he held for the rest of his life. On 31 December 1892 his wife died, after suffering a long illness. Two years later, poor health led him to give up the post of Court Music Director. Hanfstaengl-Rheinberger

Rheinberger was a prolific composer. His religious works include twelve Masses (one for double chorus, three for four voices ''a cappella'', three for women's voices and organ, two for men's voices and one with orchestra), a Requiem and a Stabat Mater. His other works include several

operas Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libret ...

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning co ...

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small nu ...

, and

choral A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

works. Today Rheinberger is remembered above all for his elaborate and challenging organ compositions; these include two concertos, 20

sonata Sonata (; Italian: , pl. ''sonate''; from Latin and Italian: ''sonare'' rchaic Italian; replaced in the modern language by ''suonare'' "to sound"), in music, literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''canta ...

s in 20 different keys (of a projected set of 24 sonatas in all the keys), 22 trios, and 36 solo pieces. His organ sonatas were once declared to be Rheinberger died in 1901 in Munich, and was buried in the

Alter Südfriedhof The Alter Südfriedhof (''Old South Cemetery'') also known as "Alter Südlicher Friedhof" is a cemetery in Munich, Germany. It was founded by Duke Albrecht V as a plague cemetery in 1563 about half a kilometer south of the Sendlinger Ga ...

. His grave was destroyed during World War II, and his remains were moved to his home town of Vaduz in 1950.

Compositions

This list only mentions works that were assigned an opus number by Rheinberger himself. * Sacred vocal works **

Cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning o ...

s, including the

Christmas cantata A Christmas cantata or Nativity cantata is a cantata, music for voice or voices in several movements, for Christmas. The importance of the feast inspired many composers to write cantatas for the occasion, some designed to be performed in church serv ...

''Der Stern von Bethlehem'' (The Star of Bethlehem), Op. 164 ** 14 masses, including the 1881 Mass in A major, Op. 126, 3

requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

settings, 2 settings of the Stabat mater **

Motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Ma ...

s, hymns,

lied In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...

er *** among others, '' Abendlied'' (Op. 69, Nr. 3) after Luke 24,29 (''Bleib bei uns'') * Dramatic works ** 2

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

s (''Die sieben Raben'', Op. 20, after the Grimm fairy tale The Seven Ravens, ''Türmers Töchterlein'', Op. 70) ** 3

Singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plur ...

e ** 2 pieces of incidental music * Secular choral music ** Choir ballads ** Choral pieces with and without accompaniment ** Works for mixed choir *** e.g., ''Waldblumen'' (Op. 124) – eight songs after texts by ** Works for female and male choirs * 12 lieder for Voice and Piano * Orchestral music ** 2

** 3

overture Overture (from French language, French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Be ...

s ** Piano concerto in A-flat, Op. 94 (1877) ** 3 other concertos for instruments with orchestra (including two concertos for organ and orchestra) * Chamber music ** String quartets, string quintets, piano trios, sonatas for solo instruments and piano *** e.g., Clarinet Sonata, Op. 105 in A major ** 4

piano sonata A piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement ( Scarlatti, Liszt, Scriabin, Medtner, Berg), others with ...

s * Works for organ ** 2 organ concertos ** 20 organ sonatas ** 12 Fughettas, Op. 123 ** 12 Monologues, Op. 162 ** 12 Meditations, Op. 167 ** Preludes, trios, character pieces ** Works for solo instruments (violin and oboe) with organ

Recordings

*''Rheinberger: Missae et Cantiones'',

Wolfgang Schäfer Wolfgang Schäfer (born 7 April 1945) is a German choral conductor and academic. He founded the Freiburger Vokalensemble, the BosArt Trio, and the Frankfurter Kammerchor. Career Born in Staufen im Breisgau, Schäfer studied music education, voi ...

Choir Director, Edgar Krapp Organ, Klaus Mertens Baritone,

Frankfurter Kantorei Frankfurter Kantorei (Frankfurt chorale) is a German mixed concert choir established in July 1945 by Kurt Thomas in Frankfurt. In 1969, Helmuth Rilling assumed leadership, and the choir began recording the complete Bach cantatas in 1972. From 1982 ...

Carus-Verlag Carus-Verlag is a German music publisher founded in 1972 and based in Stuttgart. Carus was founded by choral conductor Günter Graulich and his wife Waltraud with an emphasis on choral repertoire. The catalogue currently includes more than 26,00 ...

1998 *''Rheinberger: Organ Sonatas'' Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 16, 17, 19, 20: Bruce Stevens, organ
Raven Recordings
4 CDs *''Josef Gabriel Rheinberger: Motets, Masses and Hymns'', Elizabeth Patterson, Director; Gloriae Dei Cantores; Paraclete Recordings 2011 *''Rheinberger: Geistliche Vokalmusik'', Stuttgart Chamber Choir; Carus; 10 CDs *''Rheinberger: Klavierwerke'', Jürg Hanselmann; Carus; 10 CDs; 2011 *''The Complete Organ Sonatas of Josef Rheinberger – Roger Sayer plays The Organ of The Temple Church, London'',

Roger Sayer Roger Sayer is an English organist and Director of Music at the Temple Church in central London. He was previously Organist and Director of Music at Rochester Cathedral. Sayer began his musical career as a chorister in Portsmouth and then studied ...

organ; Priory Records; 6 CDs; 2018
Rheinberger: Music for Voice and Organ, Patrick Parker, organ, Katie Pollorena, mezzo-soprano, Seven Eight Records, 2019.
*''Rheinberger: Sacred Choral Works'', Phoenix Bach Choir, Kansas City Chorale, Charles Bruffy, conductor
Chandos Records
2007.

References

Other sources

* *

External links

Internationale Josef Gabriel Rheinberger Gesellschaft – list of works

Free scores

*
e-Partitions
Newly edited and typeset organ scores. *

Commercial publishers

Carus Verlag
– complete works

– chamber music only

Free recordings

*
Kyrie
*
GloriaRheinberger: Music for Voice and Organ, Patrick Parker, organ, Katie Pollorena, mezzo-soprano
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rheinberger, Josef 1839 births 1901 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century German composers 19th-century German male musicians 20th-century classical composers 20th-century German composers 20th-century German male musicians Burials at the Alter Südfriedhof Catholic liturgical composers Composers for pipe organ German classical organists German male classical composers German opera composers German Roman Catholics German Romantic composers Liechtenstein composers Liechtenstein Roman Catholics Male opera composers German male organists People from Vaduz Male classical organists 19th-century organists