Reger, Max (mäks rā`gər), 1873–1916, German composer; he studied with Hugo Riemann in Wiesbaden. Through his sensitive interpretations of Mozart and Bach he won acclaim as a pianist. In 1901 he settled in Munich, where he taught composition and organ, and from 1907 until his death he taught at the Leipzig Conservatory. In 1911 he became conductor of the court orchestra at Meiningen. He was highly esteemed in Germany for his organ music, which exhibits extreme polyphonic complexity and a consummate technique. Among his important compositions for the organ are Fantasy and Fugue in C Minor (1898) and Fantasy and Fugue on Bach (1900). His enormous output also includes Improvisation (1898), for pianos; the Symphonic Prologue to a Tragedy, for orchestra; and more than 300 songs.

Reger, (Johann Baptist Joseph) Max(imilian)

(born March 19, 1873, Brand, Bavaria, Ger.—died May 11, 1916, Leipzig) German composer and organist. From 1890 to 1893 he studied at Sondershausen and Wiesbaden and taught piano, organ, and theory. By 1901, despite opposition to his traditional methods, he had established himself in Munich as a composer, pianist, and teacher. He became a prolific composer of songs, piano pieces, and especially organ music. His music, combining progressive and conservative elements and often highly chromatic, has always been more popular in Germany than elsewhere.