by Herbert Dawson from St. Margaret's, Westminster
Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901) was a prolific composer in many fields but he is now remembered solely for his organ music, above all for his twenty organ sonatas. It has sometimes been claimed for him that he is the most important organ-composer since Bach. His musical texture has little or nothing in common with Bach's ; it reminds one rather of that of Schumann or Brahms. He was of nothing like the same stature as the old Leipzig master, but his fine seriousness, his spaciousness, and his polished workmanship have earned him a high place in the Pantheon of Organists.