Max Reger › Op40
2 Choralfantasien
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![2 Choralfantasien, Op.40 [#536834].pdf](/files/_pending_vlm/Organ/Reger%2C%20Max/2%20Choralfantasien%2C%20Op.40/2%20Choralfantasien%2C%20Op.40%20%5B%23536834%5D.p10.png)
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Historical context
With Op. 40, the master continued to cultivate the organ genre successfully, containing the two chorale fantasies on “Wie schön leucht’t uns der Morgenstern” and “Straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn.” The first fantasy, ‘Wie schön leucht’ uns der Morgenstern’ (Op. 40, I), was completed in September 1899, as Max Reger noted in 1899, and “the book” adds that Reger was inspired by Fritz Volbach’s organ fantasy on the same chorale and spent time studying evangelical hymn books. Op. 40, I is dedicated to Professor Dr. Friedrich Spitta in Strasbourg, in grateful recognition of his support for the young master. The second fantasy, ‘Straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn’ (Op. 40, II), was composed shortly after the first and is dedicated to Zwickau organ master Paul Gerhard, one of the earliest and most dedicated champions of Reger’s organ works.
Op. 40, I premiered in the summer of 1900, performed by Karl Straube in Wesel, while Op. 40, II premiered in 1900, performed by Otto Burkert in Brünn, according to “Zeittafel” and “the book.” “The book” describes Op. 40, I as a “magnificent piece” that shows Bach’s spirit and asceticism, avoiding sentimental embellishment, noting that in this work, the chorale melody “wonderfully rings through the gloomy and hopeless E-flat minor, until gradually more light and life spread, and at the end, the chorale ingeniously combines with the fugue’s theme.” Op. 40, II is called a “soul-painting” that uses new forms of expression to characterize a broken spirit tormented by remorse and fear of eternal judgment, vividly conveying “the difference between anxious doubt and ecstatic, inwardly triumphant faith, concluding with tones of gratefully jubilant enthusiasm.” Both works demonstrate the master’s ability to extract new expressive forms from the organ.
Drawn from Segnitz, Eugen, 1862-1927, Max Reger : Abriss seines Lebens und Analyse seiner Werke (1922); Lindner, Adalbert; Lindner, Adalbert, b. 1860, Max Reger : ein Bild seines Jugendlebens und künstlerischen Werdens (1922) — public domain, archive.org.