Heinrich von Herzogenberg

An Austrian composer and conductor descended from a French aristocratic family. He was early attracted to the music of Wagner, but through the study of J.S. Bach he was led to a strong attachment to the classical tradition and became an ardent admirer of Brahms. Herzogenberg was a learned composer of definite gifts. Towards the end of his life he concentrated on providing music for communal worship in the Lutheran Church, though Herzogenberg himself remained a Roman Catholic. His models in these pieces were the Bach oratorios and passions, with chorales designed to be sung by the congregation and only a small instrumental ensemble.