The Forgotten Romantic: Max Reger's Intermediate Piano Repertoire, presented by Martha Thomas NCTM, University of Georgia

Max Reger...
Teacher, concertizing pianist, conductor, administrator, etc. He wore many hats!

1906 gave a very important concert in St Petersburg. Prokofiev heard him.

1912-13 He gave 106 concerts. (Difficult in a time before airline travel!)

A lot of people were very critical of his work. He was considered a revolutionary.
Supporters: Ferruccio Busoni referred to Reger as "Greatest living and deeply German composer" 1905
Arnold Shoenberg supported him.
Richard Strauss

Stylistic influence of Schumann or Brahms. She has found a piece that she calls "the fourth Brahms rhapsody." Other: Chopin, Grieg, Mendelssohn, Wagner, Liszt. Most important influence is not from the romantic era: JS BACH.

Reger referred to BACH as "the beginning and end of all music."

146 opus numbers and many works wOo. One collection has 111 pieces, so he actually wrote a lot of pieces.

He only had 25 years to write. His idea of resting involved writing a lot of music. He wrote for a lot of instruments. He wrote no symphony and no opera. He died at age 43.

Major pieces:
Prolific composer... Long list.

For piano:
21 opus numbers and many without opus.

Bach and Telemann variations... Each about 30 minutes long. Had he only written one of these, he'd still be in the history books. These are GREAT!

Piano concerto in F minor

No piano sonata but used sonata form in chamber music

Character piece

Max Hehemann (one of Reger's biographers): "Whether we like it or not, Reger simply happens to be complicated."

Reger uses non periodic shaping of phrases, revolutionary chromatic harmony, massive sound spectra (maybe because he was organist?), dense texture,

His shorter pieces tend to be through 3 sharps or flats. Rhythms are uncomplicated. He used basic harmonic progressions. Length: 1-3 pages generally. Two voices. Hand span: one octave.

ALBUM FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, opus 17
Composed 1895, published 1902
20 pieces, written as pedagogical compositions
published by Schott (only contains 14 of the 20 pieces)
Written while he was a student at the conservatory in Weissbaden. He wrote these for his own students.

1. Frohsinn. (Cheerfulness) A major. It has an Alberti-like structure in LH. He gives the melody to the LH. He goes into a unison passage right before the end of the piece. (This is common in these pieces.)

(Prof Thomas demonstrated the piece)

2. Hasche mich! This starts with a two voice texture. There are 3-note chords divided between the two hands. It has patterns similar to Watchman's Song by Grieg, but this piece is easier than the Grieg piece.

4. Das tote Vöglein. Chorale-style writing. It's a bit like "An Old Valentine" by Gillock, which would be a good preparation for this Reger piece.

5. Über Stock und Stein. Lively, 6/8 time, thin texture, hemiola pattern. This is a lot like Gade's "Round Dance." This is one of her favorites.

6. Was die Großmutter erzählt. (What the grandmother saw). Andante espressivo. Charming. Two-page piece. Stark changes of character. It's a bit like Schumann's "The Poor Orphan" from Album for the Young.

7. Ein Tänzchen B Flat Major. No pedal. Chords are small. Reminds a bit of "The Clown" by Kabalevsky. This is good prep for Schumann.

8. Bange Frage. (Anxious question.) A Minor. It has a built-in Q&A. It sounds sophisticated. It has part-writing that will necessitate writing in a lot of the fingerings for the student.

9. Weihnachtstraum. A major. LH has the Silent Night melody and the RH has intervallic patterns in two-note groupings. Astonishingly beautiful piece. Melody notes are larger; harmonies are smaller.

10. Großes Fest. This has chords with octaves, but you could leave out notes in order for small-hands to play this. B Flat Major. Allegro alla Marcia. This is a little harder than "Solider's March." Grieg Op 68, no 1 is the same style, as well.

11. Abendgesang. He distinguishes between melody and harmony notes with larger/smaller font. Melody is in the thumb, like Gillock SOARING from Lyric Preludes.

12. Fast zu keck! Allegro vivace. F Major. Three pages long. Fast and energetic. Fun! There is a big unison passage at the end of the second page. A lot of fun to play. Passages get divided between the two hands.

13. Frühlingslust. ( Spring's Delight) melody is divided between the hands. It fits the hand beautifully.

15. Reigen. (Round Dance) Two-part writing, lively.

18. Nordischer Tanz. D Major. It's a lot like Spinning Song, but harder. There are double notes in the RH.

19. Erster Streit. D Minor pre-tarantella piece. There are unison passages. The biggest danger is starting it too fast.

20. Versöhnung. A Major. Cantabile. It sounds like Schumann.


Collection without opus:
111 Canons (1895)
Pedagogical collection
Two and three part canons
All major and minor keys

The opening canon quotes Clementi Op 36. He also took a lot of Bach fugue subjects. His contrapuntal writing is fabulous.


Blätter und Blüten... Another collection without opus.
Humoreske. B minor. Fun piece!
Hasche-Mann... Similar to the third piece from Kinderscenen.
Frühlingslied. It sounds a lot like Wild Rose. Similar motive. Same harmonic progression at the beginning. Same key. Same range of the piano. This is upper intermediate.
Jagstück. (Hunting Song) easier than Schumann's hunting song. Chords are rolled. Notes can be omitted.
Scherzino. Great recital-ender piece for a student with slightly bigger hands. It's very patterned, more so than many of his other compositions.


Four Sonatinas, op 89
She likes Sonatina #2 the best. They are very classical-sounding. Transparent texture. They sound like Kuhlau and Clementi.
It's in D Major. Delightful. It's about five pages long.

Zehn Kleine Vortragsstücke, op 44
For teaching purposes

Burletta, #2 is a bit like the Grieg Elfin Dance

Op 143... From 1915... Dreaming by the Fireside... Traume und...? There are no black keys in this piece. This is fairly complicated, upper intermediate. It's very patterned. This is a great étude-style piece for students who aren't ready for Chopin.

Lose Blätter for Piano, op 13. Album Leaves. It has an almost direct quote from Schumann Fantasy. His publisher demanded the little pieces bc he didn't want the 30min pieces that would sit on the self and mildew.

#11 Appassionato. Fairly complicated, "Brahmsian" texture. Short. One page. This is a good prep for Rachmaninov C# minor prelude. This is also in C sharp minor.