Max Reger Biography

Max Reger, born as Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger, was a German composer, musician and teacher. He is counted among the most influential German composers of his time. A multi-faceted personality, he is especially well-known for elaborating on the stylistic traits of Johannes Brahms, and leading the transition of German music into the 20th century. He was also an organist and conductor and had made important contributions to music in these roles as well. Born as the son of a music teacher in Bavaria, he displayed a keen interest in music from a young age. He studied music under Hugo Riemann and went on to become a teacher of piano, organ, and theory. During this time he became friends with Busoni and the organist Straube who helped him establish himself as a musician. Soon he became a popular composer and pianist in Munich and his teaching career also flourished. He was a prolific composer and produced an enormous output of orchestral, chamber, vocal, organ and piano music over his career. His musical style was very dense with extremely fast modulations. His specialty was organ music which was very intense and deep and considered second only to Johann Sebastian Bach's compositions. He was a brilliant musician who in spite of his short life left an indelible mark on late 19th and early 20th century German music.