RWA Band I/1 – Chorale fantasias
Alexander Becker, Stefan König, Christopher Grafschmidt, Stefanie Steiner-Grage
1.
In contrast to other forms and genres of organ music which Reger composed throughout his life (such as free fantasias and fugues or chorale preludes), the seven chorale fantasias were composed in a comparatively short period of two and a half years:
- late summer of 1898: “Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott” op. 27 and “Freu dich sehr, o meine Seele!” op. 30 (see Biographical context)
- fall 1899: “Wie schön leucht’t uns der Morgenstern” op. 40 no. 1 and “Straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn!” op. 40 no. 2;
- fall 1900: “Alle Menschen müssen sterben” op. 52 no. 1, “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme!” op. 52 no. 2 and “Halleluja! Gott zu loben, bleibe meine Seelenfreud’!” op. 52 no. 3.
Reger’s impulse to write fantasias over chorales divided into verses came from the Berlin organist and composer Heinrich Reimann and his Fantasia on the Chorale “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” op. 25, published in 1895. He probably heard of this in a review by Fritz Volbach, published in the June 1896 edition of the Allgemeine Musik-Zeitung.1 According to Reger’s friend and earlier teacher Adalbert Lindner, Reger studied Reimann’s Fantasia intensively in the “summer days of the year 1898”.2 In November 1898, by which time both the Chorale Fantasias opp. 27 and 30 had been completed, Reger acknowledged the other composer: “I got hold of your chorale fantasia for organ “Wie schön leucht’ uns der Morgenstern!” and I admire the work as a marvel and masterpiece of its kind! The salvation for our organ style lies precisely in the use and treatment of the old hymn!” (Letter to Heinrich Reimann)
Lindner reported further that he had come across Reger several times “reading and studying” the “sacred texts and melodies” of the Protestant hymn book and heard the cry: “The Protestants don’t know what they have in their chorales!” 3 A certain familiarity on the part of the Catholic Reger with Protestant chorales, which was still quite remarkable at the end of the 19th century, would have developed early in Weiden, for the town church of St. Michael there served as a church shared by both confessions. Moreover, the structural recourse to hymns, which had already begun with the Organ Suite in E minor op. 16 and is evident in the chorale fantasias, goes back to the study of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, referred to in the dedication of the suite.
Reger characterized his Fantasia op. 27 on “Ein’ feste Burg” as follows: “Each verse is musically illustrated while retaining the chorale melody as c.f.; as far as the style is concerned, the Passacaglia from my op. 16 will give you a clue as to this […]. The last verse is illustrated musically as a free fugue on the opening motif of the chorale, yet in the episodes of the fugue, the chorale goes quietly on its way.” (Letter to Caesar Hochstetter; see The conception of the chorale fantasias)
Reger’s chorale fantasias, written for ““a very large, modern organ! (3 manuals)” (Reger’s letter to Anton Gloetzner), were intended for concert organists who played primarily in the Protestant churches in northern Germany. Reger remarked on their abilities: “the Protestants place a high value on their organists; here we have some splendid virtuosi! That’s why my fantasias are also on Protestant chorales” (Letter to Gloetzner).
The present works mark in a special way Reger’s breakthrough, and indeed are considered as original contributions to a genre which they helped to bring to greater public attention. A collective review in the Allgemeine Musik-Zeitung of October 1899 said of op. 27: “If Max Reger succeeds in continuing this excellent improvement in form in his other creations […], then we can expect great things of him, for he seems to me to be destined to plow an historical furrow.”3 (see Early reception)
About this Blogpost
Authors:
Alexander Becker, Stefan König, Christopher Grafschmidt, Stefanie Steiner-Grage
Translations:
Elizabeth Robinson (en)
Date:
22nd February 2010
Tags:
Module IVol. I/1
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Citation
Alexander Becker, Stefan König, Christopher Grafschmidt, Stefanie Steiner-Grage: RWA Band I/1 – Chorale fantasias, in: Reger-Werkausgabe, www.reger-werkausgabe.de/rwa_post_00042, version 3.1.0-rc3, 20th December 2024.
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