''Zwölf Stücke'',
Op. 65, is a group of twelve pieces for
organ by
Max Reger, composed in Munich in 1902. They were published by
C. F. Peters
Edition Peters is a classical music publisher founded in Leipzig, Germany in 1800.
History
The company came into being on 1 December 1800 when the Viennese composer Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754–1812) and the local organist Ambrosius Kühne ...
in
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
in August of that year, in two books (''Heft'') of six pieces each.
History
The pieces are
character piece
A character piece is a musical composition which is expressive of a specific mood or non-musical idea.
History
The term "character piece" was coined by Marin Marais in the ''avertissement'' to his fifth book of viola da gamba music published in 1 ...
s of medium difficulty, as a contrast to his major organ works. Reger had written such works already as a student in
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
. He turned to the organ in
Weiden. On 31 December 1901, Reger approached the publisher
Henri Hinrichsen
Henri Hinrichsen (5 February 1868 – 17 September 1942) was a German music publisher and patron of music in Leipzig. He directed the music publishing house C. F. Peters, succeeding his uncle. He helped found the Hochschule für Frauen zu Leipzig, ...
of
C. F. Peters
Edition Peters is a classical music publisher founded in Leipzig, Germany in 1800.
History
The company came into being on 1 December 1800 when the Viennese composer Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754–1812) and the local organist Ambrosius Kühne ...
to find out if he was ready to print in 1902 piano works, songs or chamber music. Henri answered that would prefer organ works easy to play ("leichte Spielbarkeit"). Reger composed 15 pieces in Munich in 1902, but Peters published twelve in
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
in August 1902, in two books (''Heft'') of six pieces each. Reger dedicated the pieces of Heft 1 to
Paul Homeyer, the organist at the
Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, the home of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics.
History
The first Gewandhaus (''Altes Gewandhaus'')
The f ...
in
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
, and those of Heft 2 to , a pupil of
Anton Bruckner and teacher at the Vienna Conservatory. Both dedicatees were established organists of an older generation, but could not be won to promote Reger's music. A reviewer of the first print wrote in the ''Monthly Musical Record'': "The great art of expressing thoughts simply – in other words, concealing the art – is not to be found here; the composer is still in his storm and stress period.". The three unpublished pieces were used for the collection
''Zwölf Stücke'', Op. 80 in 1904.
The pieces have been performed individually or in sequence. In Reger's lifetime, performers often combined movements from different collections. Reger himself played ''Canzone'' for the
Welte Philharmonic Organ. In the edition of Reger's complete works 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 ...
, they were published in volume 6.
Structure
The titles and keys are:
# ''Rhapsodie'' (
Rhapsody),
C-sharp minor
C-sharp minor is a minor scale based on C, with the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of four sharps.
The C-sharp natural minor scale is:
:
Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale ar ...
# ''Capriccio'' (
Capriccio),
G major
G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor.
The G major scale is:
Notable composi ...
# ''Pastorale'' (
Pastorale
Pastorale refers to something of a pastoral nature in music, whether in form or in mood.
In Baroque music, a pastorale is a movement of a melody in thirds over a drone bass, recalling the Christmas music of ''pifferari'', players of the tradi ...
),
A major
# ''Consolation''
# ''Improvisation'' (
Improvisation),
A minor
# ''Fuge'' (
Fugue), A minor
# ''Präludium'' (
Prelude),
D minor
# ''Fuge'' (Fugue),
D major
D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor.
The D major scale is:
:
Ch ...
# ''Canzone'' (
Canzona
The canzona is an Italian musical form derived from the Franco-Flemish and Parisian chansons, and during Giovanni Gabrieli's lifetime was frequently spelled canzona, though both earlier and later the singular was spelled either canzon or canzone ...
),
E-flat major
E-flat major (or the key of E-flat) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has three flats. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E minor, (or enharmonically ...
# ''Scherzo'' (
Scherzo
A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often re ...
), D minor
# ''Toccata'' (
Toccata
Toccata (from Italian ''toccare'', literally, "to touch", with "toccata" being the action of touching) is a virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virtu ...
),
E minor
E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major.
The E natural minor scale is:
:
Changes needed ...
# ''Fuge'' (Fugue),
E major
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
Zwölf Stücke für die Orgel, op. 65 [manuscript score]The Library of Congress
12 Stücke op. 65 / Heft 1Edition Peters
12 Stücke op. 65 / Heft 2Edition Peters
(in German) max-reger-orgel.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zwolf Stucke, Op. 65
Organ compositions by Max Reger
1902 compositions