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Requiem Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) Movement I Introit et Kyrie Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, et lux perpetua luceat eis. and let perpetual light shine on them. Te decet hymnus, Deus in Sion To Thee we owe a hymn of praise, God in Zion et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem. To Thee must vows be fulfilled in Jerusalem. Exaudi orationem meam, ad te omnis caro Hear my prayer for unto You all flesh shall come. veniet. Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. The first movement begins with a note of D from the orchestra, and the choir enter pianissimo with a D minor chord “Requiem aeternam”. The tenors then repeat the prayer with a chant-like tune, and the sopranos follow with their own chant “Te decet hymnus”. A loud “Exaudi” from all voices calls for God to hear our prayer, and then there is a short Kyrie, to the “Requiem aeternam” chant tune introduced by the tenors. Movement II Offertoire O Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex Gloriae O Lord, Jesus Christ, King of glory libera animas defunctorum Deliver the souls of the dead de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu. from infernal punishment and from the deep abyss. O Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex Gloriae O Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory, libera animas defunctorum de ore leonis Deliver the souls of the dead from the mouth of the lion, ne absorbeat eus Tartarus ne cadant in Do not let Hell swallow them up and do not let obscurum. them fall into darkness. Hostias et preces tibi Domine, laudis offerimus Sacrifices and prayers of praise we offer to you, O Lord, tu suscipe pro animabus illis receive them for the souls of those quarum hodie memoriam facimus whom we commemorate today. Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam Lord, make them pass from death to life Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini eus. as once You promised to Abraham and to his seed. Alto, tenor and, a little later, the bass parts enter one after another in cannon “O Domine, Jesu Christe, rex gloriae" . The baritone sings his solo “Hostias…”, and the movement concludes with the opening music, this time with a fuller harmony, and with the cannon begun by the basses and this time working up the choir. The movement concludes with a lovely “Amen” 1 | P a g e Movement III Sanctus Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts. Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra. Gloria tua. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest. With minimal accompaniment from harp and strings the sopranos and men sing a duet, the men repeating the soprano call, in an angelic chorus which builds to a crescendo with horn fanfare for a triumphant “Hosanna in excelsis", fading to a long hushed repetition of “Sanctus”. The violins simple melody, accompanied by harp arpeggios, concludes the movement. Movement IV Pie Jesu Pie Jesu, Domine, dona eis requiem. Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them rest. Dona eis requiem sempiternam requiem Grant them eternal rest. This is the best known movement, and the only one in which the soprano sings. It consists of repetition of a simple modal melody with large intervals, reaching heavenwards. Movement V Agnus Dei and Lux Aeterna Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, dona eis requiem. grant them rest. Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine May eternal light shine on them, O Lord. Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, With Your saints for eternity, quia pius es. for You are merciful. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, Grant them eternal rest, Lord, et lux perpetua luceat eis and let perpetual light shine on them. Instead of the common setting of “Agnus Dei” to foreboding music, and in minor keys, the orchestra opens this movement with a bright legato melody form the orchestra in F major. The tenors sing a chant like melody but in smooth rising and falling phrases. The choir join in with strong dynamics adding some drama, but the tenors take over again with a gentle solo, and this is followed by a warm choral treatment of “Lux aeterna”. The choir repeats the “Requiem aeternam” from the first movement, before the orchestra concludes with the lovely tune with which it opened the “Agnus Dei”. Movement VI Libera me Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna, Free me, lord, from eternal death, in die illa tremenda on that day of wrath 2 | P a g e quando coeli movendi sunt et terra. when the heavens and the earth shall move. Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem While you come to judge the world by fire. Tremens factus sum ego et timeo I am made to tremble, and to fear, dum discussio venerit atque ventura ira awaiting the destruction and your coming wrath. Dies illa, dies irae, calamitatis et miseriae O that day, that day of wrath, of calamity and misery, dies illa, dies magna et amara valde. the great and exceedingly bitter day, Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, Grant eternal rest to them, Lord, et lux perpetua luceat eis. and let perpetual light shine on them. The baritone opens this movement, and the large leaps in his line add drama to his words “in die illa tremenda” (“on that day of wrath”). The choir continue with dramatic fortissimo chords and repeated notes on the brass for "Dies irae" (“day of wrath”). The choir then sing the initial “Libera me” (“Free me”) tune in unison, with a final soft pleas of “libera me”. Movement VII In Paradisum In Paradisum deducant Angeli May angels lead you into Paradise, in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres, at Your coming, may martyrs receive you, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem and lead you into the Holy City Jerusalem. Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat, May the chorus of angels receive you, et cum Lazaro quondam pauper, and with Lazarus, once a beggar, aeternam habeas requiem May you have eternal rest. This movement is not usually part of the Requiem mass, but an antiphon sung at the burial "In paradisum deducant angeli" (“May angels lead you to paradise”). Over an accompaniment of gentle broken chords, the sopranos sing the angelic chorus, with the rest of the choir adding harmonies to emphasize the climax of their phrases. The last word is the same as the first word of the piece: “Requiem”. The final harmonies however are not a strong cadence indicating resolution, but the last section stays in D major in an indefinite cadence which is appropriate to the continuation through death to the happy the eternal rest - it sounds somewhat unfinished…. Sources of information: http://www.jamescsliu.com/classical/Faure_Requiem.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Requiem_(Faur%C3%A9) 3 | P a g e Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Note: The texts are taken from King James Version: a comparable Reformation-era English text to the German Luther Bible text used by Brahms. Movement I --Selig sind, die da Leid tragen, --Blessed are they that mourn: denn sie sollen getröstet werden. for they shall be comforted. --Matthäus 5:4 --Matthew 5:4 --Die mit Tränen säen, --They that sow in tears werden mit Freuden ernten. shall reap in joy. --Sie gehen hin und weinen --He that goeth forth and weepeth, und tragen edlen Samen, bearing precious seed, und kommen mit Freuden shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, und bringen ihre Garben. bringing his sheaves with him. --Psalm 126:5, 6 --Psalm 126:5, 6 The first movement “Selig sind, die da Leid tragen” (“Blessed are they that mourn”) is scored without violins. It opens with low strings and organ, joined by horns, establishing the home note F, which is repeated as a bass pedal note (a term originating from use of a pedal on the organ to repeat a bass note over an extended period while other harmonies move above it). The choir sing the first line as the instruments drop out. The three note “Selig sind” is an important motif through the Requiem, appearing in different places in reverse, or inverted, as well as reappearing at the conclusion of the work to unite the whole. Brahms uses some dissonance to emphasize the word “Leid” (“tears”).The second text “Die mit Tränen säen” (“They that sow in tears”), is set to new music beginning abruptly in D-flat major, sung by tenors and basses and doubled by the cellos. This returns to the pedal point F in the bass line by the end of the section, and the first music (“Selig sind”) is heard again with some new harmonies. The climax of this movement is the coda which concludes it, with all the voices singing “getrostet warden” (“be comforted”) in close imitation, beginning with the sopranos and joined by the parts on successive beats. The three note motif from the opening “Selig” is heard on individual instruments, as the choir parts repeat the important words “be comforted”, rising to a climax and falling to a beautiful cadence. Movement II --Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras --For all flesh is as grass, und alle Herrlichkeit des Menschen and all the glory of man wie des Grases Blumen. as the flower of grass. Das Gras ist verdorret The grass withereth, und die Blume abgefallen. and the flower falleth away. --1. Petrus 1:24 --1 Peter 1:24 --So seid nun geduldig, lieben Brüder, --Be patient, therefore, brethren, bis auf die Zukunft des Herrn.
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