Advent and Christmas (45): Pastorale G major

Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839-1901), born in Liechtenstein, was composition teacher
at the Munich Conservatory, organist and Bavarian Hofkapellmeister. During his lifetime highly respected, most of his works have fallen in oblivion after his death. Nowadays, his spiritual music and the rich organ works (f. e. his organ sonatas) became valued again and get attention and deserved appreciation.

The first movement of his „Pastoralsonate G“ (op. 88, 3), which is a pastorale in rapid triple-bars, cites the beginning of the praise of Mary ("magnificat anima mea") in the eighth Psalm sound, at first in the bass, then as a soprano voice, over manual parts performed as a canon. This solemny pastorale sounds rather atypical because of its sonorous, tremendous sound.