Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839 – 1901) was a
Liechtensteiner organist and composer, residing in
Bavaria for most of his life. Josef , whose father was
the treasurer for Aloys II, Prince of Liechtenstein,
showed exceptional musical talent at an early age. When
only seven years old, he was already serving as
organist of the Vaduz parish church, and his first
composition was performed the following year. In 1849,
he studied with composer Philipp M. Schmutzer (1821 –
1898) in Feldkirch, Vorarlb...(+)
Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839 – 1901) was a
Liechtensteiner organist and composer, residing in
Bavaria for most of his life. Josef , whose father was
the treasurer for Aloys II, Prince of Liechtenstein,
showed exceptional musical talent at an early age. When
only seven years old, he was already serving as
organist of the Vaduz parish church, and his first
composition was performed the following year. In 1849,
he studied with composer Philipp M. Schmutzer (1821 –
1898) in Feldkirch, Vorarlberg. 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 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.
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.
Abendlied (Evening song), Op. 69/3, is a sacred motet
by Josef Rheinberger for a six-part mixed choir
(SSATTB). It has been regarded as his best-known sacred
composition. He wrote the first version in 1855 at the
age of 15. The text is a verse from the biblical
narration of the Road to Emmaus appearance according to
Luke 24:29 in Martin Luther's German version of the
bible: "Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden, und
der Tag hat sich geneiget."
Rheinberger wrote a first version on 9 March 1855, one
month before Easter and two weeks before his 16th
birthday. At age 24, he revised the motet, for example
eliminating repetition of notes and changing the
marking. He published it in 1873 by N. Simrock in
Berlin as No. 3 of his Opus 69, Drei geistliche
Gesänge für gemischten Chor (Three sacred songs for
mixed choir, the others being Morgenlied (morning
song), on a poem by Hoffmann von Fallersleben, and Dein
sind die Himmel (Yours are the Heavens) after Psalms
89:11,14a.
A Latin version ("Mane nobiscum quoniam advesperascit,
inclinata est iam dies") was written in 1878 for a
performance on Easter Monday of 1878 at the
Allerheiligen-Hofkirche in Munich, which only permitted
Latin for liturgical singing. It was published by
Carus-Verlag. Carus published a recording titled
Abendlied, a collection of sacred vocal music by
Rheinberger, performed by the Vancouver Cantata Singers
conducted by James Fankhauser.
The music in F major is marked Andante molto. The text
is mostly sung syllabically. The three upper voices
begin with a F major chord, held for three beats on
"Bleib" (Bide) and repeated for "bei" (with), changing
to an A minor chord on "uns" (us), when the lower three
voices begin a similar pattern.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abendlied).
Although originally composed for Chorus (SSATTB), I
created this interpretation of Abendlied (Evening song
Op. 69 No. 3 for Wind Sextet (Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet,
French Horn, Bass Clarinet & Bassoon).
SHEET MUSIC