Known for his sacred works, and particularly for his organ music, Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901) served as court music director for King Ludwig II. During his tenure at the Munich Conservatory, he trained such pupils as Engelbert Humperdinck, Richard Strauss, and Wilhelm Furtw�ngler. Composed in 1890, the nine-movement cantata, DER STERN VON BETHLEHEM (THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM), OP. 164, become one of his most frequently-performed works during his lifetime. It premiered at the Kreuzkirche in Dresden on Christmas Eve, 1892. Reprint edition.