Verdi's Requiem Program Notes

Verdi’s Requiem Program Notes Requiem Mass Giuseppe Verdi Born October 10, 1813, in Le Roncole Died January 27, 1901, in Milan

Throughout his extensive career, Verdi concentrated his creative efforts on composing

operas. Occasionally he wrote a few sacred works, but for most of his adult life, he was

opposed or indifferent to everything connected with religion. Nevertheless, when

Rossini died, in 1868, Verdi wrote to his publisher about a plan to honor Rossini’s

memory. He suggested a committee of Italian composers should be formed and that

each composer be responsible for writing a section of the liturgy for a Requiem that was

to be performed on the first anniversary of Rossini's death, after which the music would

be sealed in a library vault of the Milan Conservatory only to be performed by later

generations as a tribute to Rossini’s memory. Verdi was to compose the closing Libera

me, but due to rivalries among the musicians, the project failed soon after he had completed his section.

Gian Andrea Mazzucato, a professor at the conservatory, was so impressed on seeing

the Libera me that he suggested that Verdi compose a complete Requiem himself.

When, five years later, Alessandro Manzoni, whose novel, I Promessi Sposi (“The

Betrothed”) and other writings were a powerful force in the independence movement

and the unification of Italy, died, Verdi, who had been his close friend, resolved to create

a memorial. Verdi conceived the Requiem as a patriotic act celebrating the Italian

republic and mourning the death of the poet/novelist.

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In the Requiem, Verdi found an already formed dramatic text that covered the range of human emotions from terror, shame, and sadness to hope and exaltation. He included the original Libera me that he had composed for Rossini as the final section, but for the rest of the score, he created new material. He finished the work on April 16, 1874.

Verdi conducted the premiere of the Requiem at the Church of San Marco in Milan on

May 22, 1874, the first anniversary of Manzoni’s death. Three additional performances were given at La Scala, and before the end of the year, the Requiem was performed in

Paris and London. Some found it too theatrical, too operatic, too non-religious, but the well-known critic Hanslick wrote: “Religious devotion, too, varies in its expression; it has its countries and its time. What may appear so passionate, so sensuous in Verdi's

Requiem is derived from the emotional habits of his people, and the Italian has a perfect right to inquire whether he may not talk to the dear Lord in the Italian language!”

Divided into seven segments, it begins and ends very softly with two closely related themes. At the heart of the Requiem is the complex and lengthy sequence, Dies irae, where the chromaticism of Verdi’s late music is evident. The Dies irae, which includes the Tuba mirum, begins with trumpet calls shared between the orchestra and four offstage trumpets; the chorus music continues the fanfare-like character through the passionate prayer of Lacrymosa. The text deals with the terror and destruction of the

Day of Judgment, and the petitioner prays for safety from the Lord's wrath. Dies irae opens with hammering chords and the pounding of the drum, depicting the crack of thunder and flash of lightning as the earth is being torn apart, while the second stanza is softer, heightening the sense of terror. At the third verse, trumpet calls repeat, gradually approaching as well as growing, as the dead are raised from their tombs. This document was downloaded from RenoPhil.com. Content is owned by Reno Philharmonic Association. Reno Philharmonic Association 925 Riverside Dr. #3, Reno, NV 89503 p 775/ 323-6393 | f 775/ 323-6711 | [email protected] The Reno Philharmonic Association’s mission is to produce inspirational orchestral performances of the highest quality for broad audiences, support exceptional educational and outreach programs, and provide leadership in the performing arts community.

After the horror of the Dies irae, the texts become more comforting. The third

movement, the Offertory, highlights the quartet and contains clearly operatic sections.

The Sanctus and Agnus dei texts are familiar parts of the Mass, sung at every Catholic

service, although the Agnus dei in the traditional Requiem includes a prayer for the

dead. Verdi displays his skill in contrapuntal writing: after an opening fanfare and

intonation, his Sanctus is a fugue for double chorus. The Agnus dei is a series of exchanges between two female soloists and the chorus; simple and refined, it yet reminds the listener of many of Verdi's operatic choruses. The brief Lux aeterna follows

with quiet, almost chant-like music for the three lower voices of the vocal quartet.

Domine Jesu Christe offers prayers for the dead and recalls the promise of redemption.

In the final and most personal movement, Libera me, the petitioner prays directly to

God, expressing fear and hope for deliverance. Liturgically, the Libera me is not part of

the Requiem but is recited over the coffin when it is removed from the church. Since the

Libera me repeats some of the Requiem text, Verdi reuses some earlier thematic material in this part.

The orchestra for the Requiem differs only from a standard orchestra of the time by

having an extra pair of bassoons, and for the Tuba mirum, including off-stage trumpets.

The score requires a quartet of vocal soloists and a mixed chorus, piccolo and three

flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, four bassoons, four horns, eight trumpets (four of which

play off-stage), three trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum and strings.