RWA Online Blog Chorales in Reger's works for organ

Chorales in Reger's works for organ

Alexander Becker, Christopher Grafschmidt

1.

Protestant chorales formed an important source of inspiration for Max Reger from an early age. The first examples of their use in compositions can be found 1893 in the two chorale preludes “O Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid” WoO IV/2 and “Komm, süßer Tod!” WoO IV/3 as well as 1894/95 the Suite in E minor op. 16 (see Vol. I/2, Conception) – and from then onwards, chorales were to retain a firm place in Reger’s output. Adalbert Lindner wrote of an “immersion [by Reger] in the Protestant hymnbook” (probably the Gesangbuch für die evangelisch-lutherische Kirche in Bayern, Nuremberg 1897) in summer 1898, and that he had encountered the young composer several times “reading and studying the sacred texts and melodies”. In the process Reger is said to have exclaimed: “The Protestants don’t know what they’ve got with their chorales!” 1 The exact importance that Reger attached to the old melodies in organ music can be judged from a letter of 1 November 1898 to Heinrich Reimann, whose Phantasie über den Choral “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” op. 25 had inspired him to compose his own works in this genre: “It is precisely in the use and assimilation of the old church hymns that the salvation for our organ style lies!”

Reger drew important stimuli for his chorale-based works from his wide-ranging creative examination of the music of Johann Sebastian Bachs which lasted throughout his life. Whilst still in Wiesbaden (in spring 1898) and later in Weiden he arranged a total of 16 chorale preludes by Bach for piano (RWV Bach-B4 and Bach-B5). In the preface to the edition of Bach-B4 (1900) he described the chorale preludes as “symphonic poems en miniature” as well as “the essence of Bach’s art” and explained: “Here Bach reveals a depth, a genius in his comprehension of the words which almost recalls R. Wagner’s grandiose style”.2 In 1902/03 Reger also made practical editions of the chorale cantatas “Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten” BWV 93 and “Es ist das Heil uns kommen her” BWV 9 (RWV Bach-H1 and Bach-H2).

In his choice of chorales Reger was guided above all by liturgical practice. When he reviewed an Orgelschule edited by Robert Schwalm with contributions by Paul Homeyer in February 1900, he saw its “quite special merit” in the fact “that the most common chorales (in alphabetical order) are provided with preludes, and therefore the work proves to be extremely practical in use for Protestant worship”.3 In addition, he always sought advice both in the selection and the sources particularly from Protestant church music directors and theologians, although he naturally made the final compilation himself. From Friedrich Spitta, for example, he received the latter’s newly-edited Evangelisches Gesangbuch für Elsaß-Lothringen (Strasbourg 1899),4 which he used as a source for the melodies not only for numerous chorale preludes for organ, but also for his collection Der evangelische Kirchenchor. Vierzig leicht ausführbare geistliche Gesänge zu allen Festen WoO VI/17 (1901) intended for practical use, and four of the Fünf Choralkantaten WoO V/4. What is striking is Reger’s preference for older chorales, particularly for melodies (and texts) by Martin Luther.

However, the sources which Reger used cannot always be clearly identified. With chorales which he knew particularly well, it seems plausible that he did not use any source at all. In addition, in composing several different versions of the same chorale, Reger often used different sources. With op. 135a at least four sources come into consideration, without any particular selection system being discernable (see Vorlagen).

Even in cases where melody, key and sources point to only one possible source,5 there are differences in Reger’s settings6. It is not always possible to determine in which places he intentionally altered the sources, or where he simply made them correspond with his memory.

1
Lindner 1922, p. 145.
2
Ausgewählte Choralvorspiele von Joh. Seb. Bach, für Klavier übertragen von Max Reger, Munich 1900.
3
Die Redenden Künste 6. Jg. (1900), No. 19/22 (13 Febuary), p. 306; reprinted in Wilske 1995, p. 331. – In the chorale prelude section of the Orgelschule by Schwalm and Homeyer (Leipzig 1899), 80 chorale melodies were presented, 35 of which Reger used in his op. 67. A considerable amount of space was also devoted to articles on the traditions and use of chorales in the Monatschrift für Gottesdienst und kirchliche Kunst. For example, Hermann Gruner published his Orgelspielplan im Jahre 1899 (5. Jg. [1900], Vol. 7, pp. 201–205) there, listing all the chorale settings he had played during this period. Gruner’s selection contains 42 of the 50 chorales which Reger included in his op. 67.
4
See Friedrich Spitta, Max Reger und die Monatschrift für Gottesdienst und kirchliche Kunst, in Monatschrift für Gottesdienst und kirchliche Kunst 21. Jg. (1916), no. 8 (September/October issue), p. 288.
5
For example, Reger’s listing of the source for “Jesus, meine Zuversicht” op. 135a no. 13 as “Luise Henriette Kurf. v. Brandenburg 1653” is wrong, but is identical with that given in Hugo Riemann’s Anleitung zum Generalbaß-Spielen.
6
See op. 67 – , op. 79b – and op. 135a – .
About this Blogpost

Authors:
Alexander Becker, Christopher Grafschmidt

Translations:
Elizabeth Robinson (en)

Date:
30th June 2015

Tags:
Module IVol. I/1Vol. I/4

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Citation

Alexander Becker, Christopher Grafschmidt: Chorales in Reger's works for organ, in: Reger-Werkausgabe, www.reger-werkausgabe.de/rwa_post_00013, version 3.1.0-rc3, 20th December 2024.

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