by STANLEY MARCHANT Relayed from St. Margaret's, Westminster
Josef Gabriel Rheinberger , one of the most prominent organists of the century, was born in 1839 and died in 1901. He was a precocious child; wrote a Mass at the age of eight, had it performed, reproved a bishop for singing out of tune, and nearly set fire to a church by filling the stove with the copies of a Mass, by another composer, which he thought a very indifferent piece of work-all in the same year. As a student he distinguished himself by all sorts of rare accomplishments, such as playing the whole of the Flying Dutchman at sight and transposing it as he went along; later, he became one of the greatest of organ teachers and composers. The repertory of modern organists owes a very great deal to the compositions of Rheinberger. In this country lie is known chiefly for his organ works, though actually he composed music in every field, particularly chamber music and choral masses. He even wrote operas, and his list of opus numbers runs to some two hundred.