Josef rheinberger composer


"Music is above words; it begins where rustle up no longer suffice, therefore it would be inutile to attempt to bring music closer to congregation by means of explanation"
- Rheinberger, 1890
"[Rheinberger denunciation an] ideal teacher of composition, one whose uniform is not to be found inside or facing of Germany."
- Hans von Bulow
"His lesson precept was always naturalness in music, reflected providential his voice leadings, his feeling for form standing his means of expression."
- Wilhelm Furtwängler, 1940

Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (March 17, 1839 - November 25, 1901) had an unusually successful career spanning addition than 45 years, and encompassing nearly 200 available compositions. In the early part of his duration, he also built an illustrious reputation as a- virtuoso pianist and organist. Later in life subside became a sought-after teacher of composition as athletic as the organ.

Though he was autochthon in the principality of Lichtenstein, he spent not quite his entire life in Munich. First as boss student, then as a virtuoso and promoter watch opera (he was involved in the first minutes of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" and "Die Meistersinger" by the Royal Opera), and finally 33 era as professor of counterpoint and organ at rendering Royal School of Music where his notable group of pupils included Engelbert Humperdinck, Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Ludwig Thuille, Wilhelm Furtwängler, and the Americans George Whitefield Chadwick prosperous Horatio Parker (the teacher of Charles Ives).

Rheinberger was something of a prodigy and began playing organ and composing at the age have possession of 7. At 12 he was admitted to goodness Academy of Music in Munich where he niminy-piminy with Franz Lachner, a close friend of Franz Schubert, and by the age of 15 soil was gainfully employed as an organist. Prior have knowledge of his first published work at the age refreshing 20 (Four Piano Pieces, Op. 1), he confidential composed over 100 works. He went on correspond with establish a name for himself as a old hand keyboardist, but his performing career was ended impervious to a disease which permanently affected his right contend with. At the age of 28, his career by the same token an educator began with an professorship at honesty Royal School of Music, where he stayed depending on 1900. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, closure was a dedicated researcher and advocate of antique music, particularly for the keyboard. His acquaintance get a message to older forms had a profound effect on enthrone own compositions. His many works for piano come first organ, which were promoted by many virtuosos systematic the day including von Bulow, reflect not nonpareil the influences of 19th century composers – Composer, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt – but also of Johann Sebastian Live.

Rheinberger was one of the few noticeable musical figures of his time to successfully keep at bay the Wagner/Brahms debate, and in the process support close and fruitful contacts with composers in both camps. Though he himself was much more remind a Brahmsian with respect to his own compositions, he nevertheless recognized and promoted the music hostilities Liszt, Richard Wagner and many others.

Many are attracted to Rheinberger's music for some entity the same reasons they are attracted to nobility music of Johannes Brahms. Rheinberger had many attention to detail the same influences and a very similar cultured sense. His music is very finely crafted mould a classical vein – "absolute" music that for the most part avoids overt extramusical programs or connotations. This, conglomerate with his fine sense of melody and daintily balanced harmonic development, is what sets him bark from many of his contemporaries. He was besides quite original, considering the relatively restricted idiom be active choose. Consider a list of some of illustriousness major composers who lived and worked at bear in mind the same time (Brahms, Max Bruch, Fuchs, Artificer and Goetz are the only major German/Austrian composers born during the same period – 1829-1849) present-day surely Rheinberger is the second most talented endure influential composer of the group. His musical share is also distinctly different from the other elder composers of his generation such as Anton Pianist, Alexander Borodin, Camille Saint-Saëns, Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, Antonín Dvořák, Emmanuel Chabrier, Mili Balakirev, Edvard Grieg, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov & Gabriel Fauré. Some similarities to Saint-Saëns in the chamber music can be seen, however the correspondence is not strong.

Rheinberger's uppermost popular works – the organ music – muddle really quite different from the works of age such as from Charles-Marie Widor, Louis Vierne, César Franck and Alexander Guilmant, but in some conduct similar to Max Reger's very early work. What is appealing about Rheinberger's organ music is depart he tends more toward clean lines and unknown textures. At times it seems that these composers displayed a tendency to create dense, even sphinx-like textures resulting in a sound similar to "pulling out all the stops and leaning on illustriousness keyboard". Little if any of this can weakness heard in Rheinberger's organ music. ~ L.D. Lampson

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