Engaging Max Reger's Phantasie und Fuge über B-A-C-H, Op. 46 : compositional context and performance practice

Abstract

Max Reger (1873-1916) composed more than 200 organ pieces in his 43 years of life. These, including his masterpiece Phantasie und Fuge über B-A-C-H, Op. 46 (1900), are frequently performed to this day. In this document, the author will examine Op. 46 by analyzing the overall form and thematic structure of the piece, including a study of its compositional context and background. Particular attention will be paid to the performance practice of this work regarding registration, taking into consideration the historical registration and components of the Walze (Rollschweller) of the Sauer organ Op. 650, on which Op. 46 was premiered by Karl Straube (1873-1950), who was a champion of Reger’s music. The author will provide a solution for reproducing the German Romantic registration sound on the Maidee H. And Jackson A. Seward Organ, C. B. Fisk, Op. 135, in Indiana University’s Jacobs School of MusicAuer Hall. The first chapter will provide an overview of Reger’s life and his music. The second chapter will be focused on his compositional background during his Weiden period, referencing original letters from Reger as well as letter records from The Max-Reger-Institute in Karlsruhe, which are not officially published. The third chapter will be dedicated to analyzing the forms and thematic structures of Phantasie und Fuge über B-A-C-H, Op. 46, revealing the style of composition and harmonic language which Reger inherited from the old masters, and how his own harmonic practice varied from this. The final chapter will be a performance practice study.