Rheinberger is perhaps a lesser-known composer for you. He was an organist and a contemporary of Johannes Brahms. Although a prolific composer, he’s mostly known for his elaborate and challenging organ sonatas. The movement you are hearing this morning is the Pastoral from his 12^th Sonata in D-flat major.

Pastoral or Pastorale in German, is a title that was given to many compositions from the 19^th century. Actually, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 is otherwise known as the Pastoral Symphony and contains programmatic notes, related to all of the wonderful sounds of nature – a shepherd’s pipe, birds singing, streams flowing, and a thunderstorm.

Pastorales are flowing-types of pieces, meant to evoke the serenity and wonders of nature itself. The melodies often reach upwards and outwards and point our attention towards the vastness of the sky, the contrast of the landscape, and the wonders of biodiversity, flitting about the planet. Rheinberger’s Pastoral begins with a simple melody in A major that eventually is developed and altered. The theme is heard again in the second section, this time in A minor.

The melody goes through a series of transitions and build ups, kind of like a walk in nature, one that concludes with a quiet return home. It’s like any journey in the great outdoors. You never know just what to expect. Every corner is like a little adventure. If you really look around, you can see all sorts of critters, you’ll see stunning contrast in vegetation, or you’ll just notice a cool breeze on your arm. Nature is stimulating, and when you take time to soak it in, it stimulates your reflective nature – to think, to ponder and to connect to the oneness of the universe.

This is a great piece for the first Sunday of Lent. Lent is the time to be reflective and to ponder what it takes to become a more forgiving, kind-hearted and loving person. It helps us to restore ourselves in the nature of God, which is love. God’s love is restorative, just like a walk in the forest, or just getting outside for a while, experiencing the amazingness that is all around. This music will take you on a little journey, a journey through nature. There will be all sorts of things to discover, some exciting, some serene, some jolting, some passive; but all of it is happening with exact precision in a miraculous symphony of interlocking activity.  Allow this music to help you stop and to reflect on the awesome wonder of God’s nature, and allow it to prepare your heart for your own, Lenten journey. Soli deo Gloria!