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

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

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 ...

from

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

, residing in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

for most of his life. As court conductor in Munich, he was responsible for the music in the royal chapel. He is known for sacred music, works for organ and vocal works, such as masses, a

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 ser ...

and the motet '' Abendlied''; he also composed two operas and three

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 arias which were often strophic, or folk- ...

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as th ...

, secular choral music, two symphonies and other instrumental works,

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

, and works for organ.

Life and career

Rheinberger was born on 17 March 1839 in

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.'' ...

as the son of

Johann Peter Rheinberger Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name '' Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...

and his mother Elisabeth Carigiet as one of eleven children, including his brother

Peter Rheinberger Peter Rheinberger (3 January 1831 – 19 October 1893) was an engineer and captain in the Liechtenstein military. He later became a political figure and served in the Landtag of Liechtenstein. He was a member of the prominent Rheinberger family. ...

. When only seven years old, he was already serving as organist at the Vaduz parish church, and his first composition was performed the following year. In 1849, he studied with composer in

Feldkirch, Vorarlberg Feldkirch () is a city rights, town in the western Austrian States of Austria, state of Vorarlberg, bordering on Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is the administrative centre of the Feldkirch (district), Feldkirch district. After Dornbirn, it i ...

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 A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

and of

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

at the same institution. When this first version of the Munich Conservatorium was dissolved, he was appointed ''

répétiteur A (; from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. The feminine form is . Opera In opera, a is the person responsible for coaching singers ...

'' at the Court Theatre, from which he resigned in 1867. Josef and Fanny Rheinberger

Rheinberger married his former pupil, the poet and socialite in 1867. They had no children. 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, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...

to composers from earlier times, such as

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

Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

and, above all,

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

. He also painted for literature in 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, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

. 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 undergradua ...

, William Berwald,

George Whitefield Chadwick George Whitefield Chadwick (November 13, 1854 – April 4, 1931) was an American composer. Along with John Knowles Paine, Horatio Parker, Amy Beach, Arthur Foote, and Edward MacDowell, he was a representative composer of what is called the Sec ...

Bruno Klein Bruno Oscar Klein (6 June 1858 — 22 June 1911) was an American composer and organist of German origin. He wrote a number of works for orchestra, some chamber music, church music, and a large number of songs. Life and career Born in Osnabrück, ...

Sidney Homer Sidney Homer Sr. (December 9, 1864 – July 10, 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 attende ...

and

Henry Holden Huss Henry Holden Huss (June 21, 1862 in Newark, New Jersey – September 17, 1953 in New York City) was an American composer, pianist and music teacher. Huss grew up in New York City, the son of German immigrant parents. After studying piano and ...

. Other students of his included important figures from Europe: Italian composer

Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (born Ermanno Wolf) (January 12, 1876 – January 21, 1948) was an Italian composer and teacher. He is best known for his comic operas such as ''Il segreto di Susanna'' (1909). A number of his works were based on plays by ...

, Serbian composer

Stevan Stojanovic Mokranjac Stevan Stojanović ( sr-Cyrl, Стеван Стојановић, ; 9 January 1856 – 28 September 1914), known as Stevan Mokranjac ( sr-Cyrl, Стеван Мокрањац, ) was a Serbian composer and music educator. Born in Negotin in 185 ...

, and German composers Engelbert Humperdinck and

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...

and the conductor (and composer)

Wilhelm Furtwängler Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwängler ( , ; ; 25 January 188630 November 1954) was a German conductor and composer. He is regarded as one of the greatest Symphony, symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. He was a majo ...

. 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, after a long illness, his wife died and two years later poor health led him to give up the post of Court Music Director. 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 The Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Christian hymn to the Virgin Mary that portrays her suffering as mother during the crucifixion of her son Jesus Christ. Its author may be either the Franciscan friar Jacopone da Todi or Pope Innocent III.Saba ...

. His other works include several

operas Opera is a form of Western 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 li ...

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 c ...

, and

choral A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

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

sonata In music a sonata (; pl. ''sonate'') literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cantare'', "to sing"), a piece ''sung''. The term evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms until th ...

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 Albert V, Duke of Bavaria, Duke Albrecht V as a plague cemetery in 1563 about half a kilometer so ...

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

Compositions

This list only mentions works that were assigned an

opus number In music, the opus number is the "work number" that is assigned to a musical composition, or to a set of compositions, to indicate the chronological order of the composer's publication of that work. Opus numbers are used to distinguish among ...

by Rheinberger himself. * Sacred vocal works **

Cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

s, including the

''Der Stern von Bethlehem'' (The Star of Bethlehem), Op. 164 ** 14 masses, including the 1878 ''

Cantus Missae is a mass in E-flat major for double choir a cappella by Josef Rheinberger, composed in 1878. Its full title is . It was first performed at the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche in Munich on 1 January 1879. Rheinberger dedicated it to Pope Leo XIII which e ...

'' for double choir a cappella and the 1881 Mass in A major, Op. 126, 3

requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

settings, 2 settings of the

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 preeminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to the Eng ...

s, hymns,

lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

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

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s (''Die sieben Raben'', Op. 20, after the Grimm fairy tale

The Seven Ravens "The Seven Ravens" (German: ''Die sieben Raben'') is a German fairy tale Grimms' Fairy Tales, collected by the Brothers Grimm (KHM 25). It is of Aarne–Thompson type 451 ("The Maiden Who Seeks Her Brothers"), commonly found throughout Europe. O ...

, ''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 arias which were often strophic, or folk- ...

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 ''ouverture'', "opening") is a music instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overtures which ...

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 (Liszt, Scriabin, Medtner, Berg), others with two movemen ...

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 teacher. He founded the Freiburger Vokalensemble, the BosArt Trio, and the Frankfurter Kammerchor. Career Born in Staufen im Breisgau, Schäfer studied music educa ...

Choir Director,

Edgar Krapp Edgar Krapp (born 3 June 1947 in Bamberg) is a German organist and music professor. Krapp is a member of the Board of the Neue Bachgesellschaft (New Bach Society) in Leipzig and the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts. Biography Krapp's first organ les ...

Organ,

Klaus Mertens Klaus Mertens (born 25 March 1949, in Kleve) is a German bass and bass-baritone singer who is known especially for his interpretation of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach for bass voice. Career Klaus Mertens took singing lessons wh ...

Baritone,

Frankfurter Kantorei Frankfurter Kantorei (Frankfurt chorale) is a German mixed concert choir established in 1961 by Kurt Thomas in Frankfurt. In 1969, Helmuth Rilling assumed leadership, and the choir began recording the complete Bach cantatas in 1972. From 1982 to ...

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 includes more than 26,000 works ...

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 Jürg Hanselmann (born 23 September 1960) is a Swiss-Liechtensteiner pianist, composer and music educator. He teaches piano and composition at the Sargans Cantonal School. Life Born in Grabs, Hanselmann grew up in Schaan (Principality of Liech ...

; 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 was Director of Music at the Temple Church in central London until 2023. He was previously Organist and Director of Music at Rochester Cathedral. Sayer began his musical career as a chorister in Portsmouth ...

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. *''Rheinberger: Concerto No. 1 in F Major for Organ and Orchestra'', Op. 137, Michael Murry,

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

conducted by

Jahja Ling Jahja Ling () is a conductor, music director and pianist. From 2004 to 2017, he was the music director and conductor at the San Diego Symphony. Following his retirement in 2017, he plans to do guest conducting, as well as teaching and volunt ...

;

Telarc Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long assoc ...

CD-80136, 1987

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 Burials at the Alter Südfriedhof Catholic liturgical composers German classical composers of church music 19th-century German classical composers 19th-century German male musicians 20th-century German classical composers 20th-century German male musicians Composers for pipe organ German classical organists German opera composers German Roman Catholics German Romantic composers Composers for piano German string quartet composers Liechtenstein composers Liechtenstein Roman Catholics German male opera composers People from Vaduz German male classical organists 19th-century German organists