2 Quotes & Sayings By Max Reger
Max Reger was a German composer and organist of the romantic period. He received international recognition for his choral works and organ music, as well as his compositions for piano and chamber ensembles. He was one of the first musicians to use the cello in his compositions, and some of his works have become standard repertoire for these instruments. His musical style is marked by long lines of melody and a strong chromatic harmony, ranging from the triadic fugue to achingly beautiful late Romantics such as "Im Abendrot"
Reger was born into a musical family. His father Franz Xaver Reger was a church musician who also taught singing. His grandfather Franz Xaver Reger had been a pupil of Mozart, and Franz Joseph Haydn wrote a funeral Mass for Max Reger's mother.
From an early age Max Reger showed signs of exceptional talent as a composer, organist, and pianist. In 1873 at age 12 he performed simultaneously at two concerts in Hamburg under conductors Jules Fétis and Hans von Bülow at the same time. In 1878 he gave a recital in Vienna which was recorded by Hans Richter on Edison's cylinder system.
In 1879 he achieved international success with his first symphony, followed by six more symphonies that were performed throughout Europe and America during the next decade. In 1882 he became choirmaster at Stuttgart Cathedral, where he remained until 1886. He was appointed professor of composition at the Royal School of Church Music in Berlin from 1886 to 1888, but became disillusioned with academic life after he had been passed over for a full professorship by the University of Berlin.
During this period he composed his Piano Concerto No. 1 in F minor (1889), his Symphony No. 6 in A flat major (1893), "Golliwogg's Cakewalk" (1893), "Symphonic Variations" (1893), "Symphonic Dances" (1894) and the Cello Concerto No.
2 in G major (1904). His fascination with literature contributed to his compositions - he used literary themes in several pieces such as the lieder "Der Leiermann" ("The Town Musician") or "Die Verwandlung" ("The Transformation"). This relationship can also be seen between other composers such as Richard Wagner whose music is closely linked to many poems by Goethe; Schumann who incorporated