Max Reger

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Vocation

German organist, composer, conductor and teacher who followed the footsteps of Johannes Brahms. Extremely prolific, he composed for the organ as well as choral and orchestral works and chamber music. Among his many varied creations are " Fantasy," "Böcklin Suite," "Fugue in C Minor," "Improvisation" and "Fugue on Bach." Although born in Brand, Bavaria, Reger grew up in Weiden where he studied piano with his mother and learned to play the violin and organ from his father. From 1884-89, he took piano lessons with Adalbert Lindner and filled in as a substitute organist at his local Catholic Church. In 1890, he undertook studies with Hugo Reinmann at the Academy of Music; when Reinmann left and joined the Weisbaden Conservatory, Reger transferred there as well. By 1901, he had established himself professionally in Munich, and in 1907, he became Professor of Composition at the Leipzig Conservatory. He began conducting the court orchestra at Meiningen in 1911. Reger married Eisa von Bagenski in 1902. A driven man, his life was one of hard living and tireless work. He became seriously ill in 1898 and returned to his childhood home to recuperate. In 1914, while still quite a young man, he experienced a nervous breakdown, from which he never fully recovered. He suffered a stroke, alone in a hotel, and died on 5/11/1916, Leipzig. Karl Straube, a close friend, found the body. Describing Reger’s final facial expression, he said that his friend must have seen overpowering apparitions on his way to the Unknown Land and that "the things of great importance in his life had a religious connection." Link to Wikipedia biography