Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839 – 1901) was an
organist and composer, born in Liechtenstein and
resident for most of his life in Germany and 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 in Feldkirch,
Vorarlberg.
The stylistic influences on Rheinberger ranged from
contemporaries...(+)
Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839 – 1901) was an
organist and composer, born in Liechtenstein and
resident for most of his life in Germany and 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 in Feldkirch,
Vorarlberg.
The stylistic influences on Rheinberger ranged from
contemporaries such as Brahms to composers from earlier
times, such as Mendelssohn, Schumann, Schubert and,
above all, Bach. 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. A distinguished teacher, he
numbered many Americans among his pupils, including
Horatio Parker, William Berwald, George Whitefield
Chadwick, Bruno Klein and Henry Holden Huss. Other
students of his included important figures from Europe:
Italian composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, and German
composers Engelbert Humperdinck and Richard Strauss and
the conductor (and composer) Wilhelm Furtwängler. See:
List of music students by teacher: R to S#Josef
Rheinberger. 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.
He 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, symphonies, chamber music, and choral works.
His seventeen mass settings with opus numbers are
distinguished by their great variety: there are works
for equal and mixed voices, smaller masses for a
cappella choir or with organ accompaniment, and finally
two major compositions for solo voices, chorus and
orchestra. The latter include the Mass in C major op.
169, in which Rheinberger succeeded in exemplary
fashion in reconciling the demands of restoring church
music with his personal style. One of the most
beautiful unaccompanied masses of the 19th century is
his Mass in E flat major op. 109 (Cantus Missae) for
two four-part choirs, for which Rheinberger was honored
by Pope Leo XIII with the Order of St Gregory. Its
special character derives from his drawing on the
compositional techniques of classical vocal polyphony
in combination with functional harmony, and expressive,
cantabile part-writing. The masses for equal voices
also include works of exceptional sonorous beauty and
high compositional quality, such as the Masses in G
minor op. 187 and F major op. 190.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Rheinberger).
Although originally scored for Chorus (SATB) and
Chamber Orchestra, I created this Arrangement of the
Mass in F Minor (Opus 159) for Pipe Organ & Strings (2
Violins, Viola, Cello & Bass).
SHEET MUSIC