RWA Online Encyclopedia I – Organ Works WoO IV/17

Altniederländisches Dankgebet WoO IV/17

Version for organ

Content
  • I. 
Creation
–
Status
–
Dedication
–
Performance medium
Piano; Organ
Work collection
  • -
Original work
  • Altniederländisches Dankgebet WoO IV/17, Version for Klavier
Versions
  • Altniederländisches Dankgebet WoO IV/17, Version for Klavier

1.

Reger-Werkausgabe Bd. I/7: Orgelstücke III, S. 142–143.
Herausgeber Alexander Becker, Christopher Grafschmidt, Stefan König, Stefanie Steiner-Grage.
Verlag Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart; Verlagsnummer: CV 52.807.
Erscheinungsdatum Juli 2015.
Notensatz Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart.
Copyright 2015 by Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart and Max-Reger-Institut, Karlsruhe – CV 52.807.
Vervielfältigungen jeglicher Art sind gesetzlich verboten. / Any unauthorized reproduction is prohibited by law.
Alle Rechte vorbehalten. / All rights reserved.
ISMN M-007-16416-4.
ISBN 978-3-89948-224-9.

1. Composition and Publication

In September 1915 Breitkopf & Härtel approached Reger with the request to arrange the Altniederländisches Dankgebet (“Wir treten zum Beten vor Gott den Herren”) for piano solo. As a model the publisher probably sent him an older arrangement by Julius Röntgen for voice and piano,1 which had been republished in 1915 in the lavishly-produced series Neue Flugblätter (no. 60; (publisher’s advert). Reger reacted critically to this suggestion: “As regards the arrangements of the ‘Dankgebet’, not much can be done for piano alone; it would only work if you put the art print on one page and on the other page the piano arrangement, as you have already done in the edition for voice & piano! The thing is better in an arrangement for organ! There, all 4 verses can be “through-composed”, so to speak; that would then result in 3 printed pages, whilst page 1 would be the reproduction of the art print” (letter). They finally agreed on both versions “each of 3 pages in extent” (postcard). On 23 September Reger sent both manuscripts to the publisher with the comment: “[…] both arrangements are the easiest to perform!” (Letter)

Reger requested the proofs “certainly by 12 October” 2 and probably returned them on the same day.3 Breitkopf & Härtel designed the title page, as they had for the edition of Röntgen’s 1915 arrangement, “with the impressive drawing by B. Heroux, made after the destructive Battle of the Masurian Lakes [September 1914] with the elated feelings of liberated East Prussia in mind” (publisher’s advert). By the beginning of November at the latest, the Altniederländisches Dankgebet must have appeared in both arrangements, for Reger thanked the publisher for the receipt of his author’s copies on 3 November.4

2.

Translation by Elizabeth Robinson.

1
In 1901 Breitkopf & Härtel published the collection XIV Altniederländische Volkslieder nach Adrianus Valerius, translated into German by Karl Budde and arranged by Julius Röntgen. The Dankgebet formed the conclusion of the volume under the title Siegesfeier.
2
Letter dated 25 September 1915 to Breitkopf & Härtel, Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Darmstadt.
3
Letter, Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Darmstadt. The typewritten letter is dated “Oct. 12. 1915”, but the publisher’s date stamp gives 14 October.
4
See postcard, Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Darmstadt. Date according to the postmark (date in manuscript, 4 November).

1. Reception

At present, there are no records of performances in Reger's time.

1. Stemma

Die in Klammern gesetzten Quellen sind verschollen.
Die in Klammern gesetzten Quellen sind verschollen.

2. Quellenbewertung

Der Edition liegt als Leitquelle der Erstdruck der Fassung für Orgel zugrunde. Als zusätzliche Quelle wurde deren autographe Stichvorlage herangezogen. Die Fassung für Klavier blieb aufgrund der unterschiedlichen satztechnischen Faktur von Orgel- und Klaviermusik bei editorischen Entscheidungen von sekundärer Bedeutung.

3. Sources

    Object reference

    Max Reger: Altniederländisches Dankgebet WoO IV/17, in: Reger-Werkausgabe, www.reger-werkausgabe.de/mri_work_01031.html, version 3.1.0-rc3, 20th December 2024.

    Information

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