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 Furtwangler. 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.