This study aims to reveal the sources for compositional ideas in the organ concertos of Josef
Gabriel Rheinberger (1839–1901), one of the composers who led the revival of this genre in the
19th century. The uniqueness of Rheinberger’s instrumentation has already been noted by Choroba
(2001), although Choroba focuses mainly on an analysis of musical form rather than acoustic design,
which I consider in this study.
First, I focused on the differences in acoustic design of Rheinberger’s organ concertos from other
composers of his time (e.g., F. J. Fétis, E. Prout and A. Guilmant). Whereas in the works of other
composers, the orchestra and the organ alternate constantly and confront each other, Rheinberger
used both sonic elements for the most part simultaneously, blended them together. The analyses reveal
that Rheinberger’s original acoustic design is an essential feature of his compositional style.
Second, I explored the influences for Rheinberger’s unique compositional ideas through an
analysis of historical documents such as his correspondences with organists P. Homeyer and C. L.
Werner and the dispositions of the organs on which these compositions were performed. Other composers
of his generation composed organ concertos with large new organs with over 50 registers in
mind. On the other hand, Rheinberger was most familiar with medium-sized organs, and it is unlikely
that his music was composed for any specific instrument. I also note that this compositional approach
was likely inspired when he edited W. A. Mozart’s church sonatas.
The above considerations indicate that the acoustic design of Rheinberger’s organ concertos
was the fruit of his attempt to write more versatile compositions that synthesized the sounds of organ
and orchestra in an environment that differed from that of other composers of the period.
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