About Bernhard Irrgang
Lived 1869 – 1916 (aged 46). Bernhard Irrgang was an organist and composer.
Bernhard Heinrich Irrgang (23 July 1869 – 8 April 1916) was a German organist, composer and docent for organ practice.
Life Irrgang was born in Zduny, former Province of Posen. His father was a Protestant cantor and teacher in Zduny. Bernhard was educated at the Royal Music Institute of Berlin from 1890 to 1896 and in the academic master class in composition. Active as an organist in various parishes from the beginning of his studies, Irrgang was a member of the Berlin Philharmonic from 1897.Memorial Bernhard Irrgang. In Berlin.Friedparks.de. The pupil worked from 1894 to 1905 as organist at the newly built in Kreuzberg,
The organ virtuoso was known in Berlin for his "groundbreaking" concerts. In 1909 Irrgang made a concert tour to Sweden.
From 1905, he taught organ playing at the Stern conservatory and from 1912 at the Royal Music Institute of Berlin. Among his pupils was John J. McClellan. Irrgang composed organ sonatas and sacred songs, motets and aria in his sonatas following the tradition of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Josef Rheinberger. For Irrgang's appreciation of Rheinberger, see his letter dated 5 October 1901: Bernhard Irrgang introduces himself to Rheinberger by letter as an admirer and thanks him for Sonata No. 20. In J. G. Rheinberger-Archiv, Vaduz.
counted Irrgang's organ playing "among the most manly memories of our youth." For , who met him in 1914, he was one of the "great organ masters" of the time.
Irrgang died in Berlin at the age of 46. The gravesite is located at the . The State Institute for Music Research Berlin has a Bernhard Irrgang Collection which contains organ appraisals, concert reviews and programmes, and sheet music; the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin keeps 87 of Irrgang's autographs in its music department, mainly letters.
Work Choralbuch zu dem . Im Auftrag des Deutschen Evangelischen Kirchenausschusses. Mittler, Berlin 1916.
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Important facts
People in Bernhard Irrgang's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Bernhard Irrgang's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Bernhard Irrgang?
German organist (1869–1916)
When was Bernhard Irrgang born?
Bernhard Irrgang was born on 23 July 1869 in Zduny.
When did Bernhard Irrgang die?
Bernhard Irrgang died on 8 April 1916 in Charlottenburg.
What was Bernhard Irrgang's occupation?
Bernhard Irrgang was an organist and composer.
What nationality was Bernhard Irrgang?
Bernhard Irrgang's recorded nationality: German Reich.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Bernhard Heinrich Irrgang
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bernhard Irrgang. https://biography.guide/bernhard-irrgang/
MLA: "Bernhard Irrgang." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bernhard-irrgang/.
Chicago: "Bernhard Irrgang." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bernhard-irrgang/.
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