Requiem mass

The Mass said or sung for the dead has a different format from the normal Mass with the addition of two more parts. There have been a number of important works of this kind through the ages. Mozart's Requiem is perhaps the best known from the Classical period with a typically solemn minor key being established at the beginning. The 'Dies Irae', 'Day of wrath', one of the added movements, is very short and dramatic in its style and performance. Listen to the entire movement and notice the use of the timpani to give added dramatic effect.

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Verdi's Requiem has a similar dramatic sound to Mozart's but is perhaps more like an excerpt from one of his operas, no matter how sincere it was meant to sound. Again this is a short movement but it is even more dramatic than the Mozart version. It has a large chorus and orchestra and in particular a large percussion section including a bass drum, clearly heard on the off beat at the beginning, and crash cymbals.

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Verdi was best known as an operatic composer and in this excerpt you can clearly hear the influence of that style. Lacrymosa, 'Tearful that day shall be', is as the words suggest a more contemplative movement. Listen for the orchestral vamp at the beginning along with the mezzo soprano soloist who is later joined by a bass soloist before the chorus enters. Notice also the typical beautiful Italian melodic line.

There are other dramatic examples from this period, for instance the Requiem composed by the French composer Hector Berlioz. This is a massive work for large orchestra which contains eight pairs of timpani and four extra brass groups positioned in the corners of the performance area. Other examples are much more contemplative in style. In this example, by the French composer Faure, listen for the treble voices and the accompanying ATB (alto, tenor and bass) chorus, and the accompanying arpeggios on the organ as they sing 'In Paradisum'.

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(left) Gabriel Faure about 1889

In the 20th century the 'War Requiem' by Benjamin Britten, an ardent pacifist, is a work of major significance. This Requiem was commissioned for the opening of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral, which had been bombed in the Second World War. It is a different work in many ways as the chorus and soprano soloist sing the words of the Mass, while the male soloists and a second smaller chamber orchestra perform settings of poems of moving and closely related poems by Wilfred Owen. Listen to this excerpt and notice the different treatment of the 'Dies Irae' from that of Mozart. Notice the fanfare treatment of the brass instruments, the dramatic use of male and female voices and the very rhythmic singing and playing.

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Listen to a further example starting with dissonant harmonies on an organ, boys' treble voices followed by a dramatic entry from the choir, again using rhythmic and very dissonant chords, and after this initial entry, the start of a fugal section for choir and orchestra.