Contemporary criticism saw in Rheinberger’s Stabat Mater op. 16 from 1864 “one of the most beautiful works of this type which the present time has to offer. Distinguished through its breadth of conception and its noble tonal effect, with its rich polyphony it reaches the masterpieces of the old Italian school.”

In the expressive choral movements rich-sounding homophonic passages are combined with sections worked out in strict polyphony. The sustained songlike solo pieces are of a profound ...