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Ildebrando Pizzetti’s Messa Di Requiem: Neo- Renaissance Choral Practices in Twentieth-Century Italy

Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation

Authors Plisco, Erin Elizabeth

Publisher The University of Arizona.

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Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/636519

ILDEBRANDO PIZZETTI’S MESSA DI REQUIEM:

NEO-RENAISSANCE CHORAL PRACTICES IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY ITALY

Erin Elizabeth Plisco

A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the

FRED FOX SCHOOL OF MUSIC

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of

DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS

In the Graduate College

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

2019

Acknowledgements

I am eternally grateful to my family and friends for supporting me throughout this journey. A special thank you to Dr. Bruce Chamberlain, Dr. John Brobeck, Dr. Donald Hamann, and Dr. Alyssa Cossey for their guidance and endless patience – this would not have been possible without you!

Contents

Musical Examples...... 5

Abstract...... 7

Chapter 1: Introduction

Intent and Scope of Study...... 8

Statement of Primary Thesis...... 16

Review of the Scholarly Literature...... 16

Methodology...... 18

Chapter 2: Analysis of Messa di Requiem - Gregorian Chant...... 20

Chapter 3: Analysis of Messa di Requiem - Use of Modality...... 39

Chapter 4: Analysis of Messa di Requiem – Falsobordone...... 43

Chapter 5: Analysis of Messa di Requiem - Polychoral Texture...... 47

Chapter 6: Analysis of Messa di Requiem – Imitation...... 52

Chapter 7: Performance Considerations...... 60

Requiem...... 60

Dies irae...... 64

Sanctus...... 67

Agnus Dei...... 69

Libera me...... 70

Chapter 8: Conclusion...... 74

Appendix I: Texts and Translations...... 76

Appendix II: Permissions...... 79

Bibliography...... 80

Musical Examples

Musical Example 2.1. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, soprano/contralto, measures 1-10...... 20

Musical Example 2.2. Dies irae chant from Liber usualis (p. 1810)...... 21

Musical Example 2.3. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 47-51, soprano II/alto...... 21

Musical Example 2.4. Dies irae chant from Liber usualis (p. 1810)...... 21

Musical Example 2.5. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 9-14...... 22

Musical Example 2.6. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 30-34...... 23

Musical Example 2.7. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 35-39...... 23

Musical Example 2.8. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 50-55...... 25

Musical Example 2.9. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 66-70...... 25

Musical Example 2.10. Dies irae chant from Liber usualis (p. 1811)...... 26

Musical Example 2.11. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, bass II, measures 76-80...... 26

Musical Example 2.12. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 81-85...... 27

Musical Example 2.13. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 91-95...... 28

Musical Example 2.14. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 139-143...... 29

Musical Example 2.15. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 159-163...... 29

Musical Example 2.16. Dies irae chant from Liber usualis (p. 1812)...... 30

Musical Example 2.17. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 5-7, soprano...... 31

Musical Example 2.18. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 41-45, alto...... 31

Musical Example 2.19. Kyrie, Liber usualis p. 1807...... 31

Musical Example 2.20. Messa di Requiem, Sanctus, choir I/II, measures 49-56...... 32

Musical Example 2.21. Messa di Requiem, Agnus Dei, measures 20-29...... 33

Musical Example 2.22. Messa di Requiem, Libera me, measures 1-13...... 35

Musical Example 2.23. Messa di Requiem, Libera me, measures 14-21...... 37

Musical Example 2.24. Messa di Requiem, Libera me, measures 22-28...... 38

Musical Example 3.1. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 53-54, soprano/bass II...... 39

Musical Example 3.2. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 61-65, soprano/alto...... 40

Musical Example 3.3. Messa di Requiem, Libera me, measures 57-60...... 40

Musica Example 3.4. Messa di Requiem, Libera me, measures 37-41...... 41

Musical Example 4.1. Claudio Monteverdi, Hor che’l ciel e la terra, measures 1-8...... 43

Musical Example 4.2. Claudio Monteverdi, Altri canti di Marte, measures 1-6...... 44

Musical Example 4.3. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 170-174...... 45

Musical Example 4.4. Messa di Requiem, Libera me, measures 1-3...... 46

Musical Example 5.1. Messa di Requiem, Sanctus, measures 1-10...... 48

Musical Example 5.2. Messa di Requiem, Sanctus, measures 49-56...... 50

Musical Example 5.3. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 180-184...... 51

Musical Example 6.1. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, soprano/alto/tenor I, measures 5-8...... 52

Musical Example 6.2. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 41-50...... 53

Musical Example 6.3. Messa di Requiem, Agnus Dei, soprano/alto, measures 1-5...... 53

Musical Example 6.4. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 50-60...... 54

Musical Example 6.5. Messa di Requiem, Sanctus, measures 11-24...... 56

Musical Example 6.6. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, tenor II/bass I/bass II, measures 149-151...... 58

Musical Example 6.7. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 20-29...... 58

Musical Example 6.8. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, bass II, measures 1-3...... 59

Musical Example 7.1. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, soprano/alto, measures 15-21...... 62

Musical Example 7.2. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 69-72...... 64

Abstract

Though he was known mostly for his operas during his lifetime, Ildebrando Pizzetti is hailed as one of “the greatest of the vocal polyphonists that Italy has had since the glorious period of choral polyphony in 1500-1600.”1 His unaccompanied choral music is not often performed, though similar works of some of his contemporaries have made their way into the standard choral repertoire (i.e. Ralph Vaughan Williams Mass in G Minor and Frank Martin

Mass for Double Choir). Pizzetti’s compositional idiom is unique, and Messa di Requiem in particular is a masterwork deserving of much attention. Through his combined use of sixteenth- century contrapuntal techniques, conservative text setting, Romantic harmonies, and varied textures, Pizzetti successfully creates a distinctive liturgical setting that pays homage to Italy’s past, resulting in a work of haunting beauty and resigned expression of faith that deserves a prominent place in the twentieth-century choral canon. This paper analyses Pizzetti’s work using five style features, and demonstrates that Pizzetti makes full use of compositional methods of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. This analysis then applies Pizzetti’s compositional methods to modern day performance practice, explicating in detail how a conductor could approach the rehearsal and performance of this work.

1 M.Castelnuovo-Tedesco, “Ildebrando Pizzetti,” in The Book of Modern Composers, ed. D. Ewen (New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1950), 202.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Intent and Scope of Study

Ildebrando Pizzetti (1880-1968) was born on September 20, 1880, in Parma, Italy. His upbringing was a musical one that resulted in formal study beginning in 1897 at the conservatory of Parma with Giovanni Tebaldini (1864-1952). It was under Tebaldini’s tutelage that Pizzetti became conversant with fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Italian instrumental and choral music, and his lifelong interest of this music was cultivated (Tebaldini directed the conservatory from

1897 and was one of the pioneers of Italian musicology).2

As a result of Italy’s unification into a single state circa 1870, Italian composition in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries exemplified a search for national identity.3 This gave birth to a group of composers intent on performing “the most interesting music of the young

Italians, resurrecting old forgotten music, printing the most interesting new compositions, publishing a periodical, and organizing a system of exchanging new music with the principal foreign countries.”4 These composers criticized the more forward-looking trends of the time and recommended a return to tradition. The Società Italiana di Musica Moderna (Italian Society for

Modern Music) was founded in 1917 by Alfredo Casella (1883-1947), Gian Francesco Malipiero

(1882-1973), and Gabriele D'Annunzio (1863-1938). This group, which later became known as the Generazione dell’80 (generation of 1880) also included Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936), and

Ildebrando Pizzetti. They were among the first Italian composers in over a century whose main contributions were not in opera. They also sought to establish a form of Italian high art music in

2 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., s.v. “Giovanni Tebaldini.”

3 John Waterhouse, “The Emergence of Modem Italian Music to 1940,” (PhD diss., University of Oxford, 1968).

4 Ibid., 190.

9 response to the music of the likes of Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) and Pietro Mascagni (1863-

1945) (which exemplified the verismo movement) – music they criticized as being a “highly- colored facile” type of music that “required no great intelligence for its enjoyment.”5 The

Generazione dell’80 saw it as a crisis in concessions to “low-brow taste.”6 Pizzetti even openly criticized Puccini’s operas in the influential journal La Voce, stating that the typical Puccini opera “did nothing to touch the fibres of the hearts” of the typical audience member, who was

“addicted to tranquility and well-being;” it induced a “gentle emotionalism” that was useful merely as “a distraction from the care of daily life.”7 Pizzetti thought that serious music needed to impose greater demands, engage and challenge the listener in dramatic conflict, and lead the listener onward to resolution.

The early twentieth century also saw major reform taking place in the Catholic Church.

In 1894 (the tri-centennial of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina’s (1525-1594) death), Pope Pius X initiated reforms that would once again subordinate music to the liturgy (purging the music of romantic excesses). The primacy of Gregorian chant was re-asserted along with the style of polyphony that emulated Palestrina’s compositions.8 The Pope maintained that “the more closely a composition for church approaches in its movements, inspiration and savor the Gregorian form, the more sacred and liturgical it becomes.”9 He refers to “Classic Polyphony,” defining it as the

5 Reginald Smith Brindle, “Italy,” in Music in the Modern Age, ed. F. W. Stemfeld (New York: Fraeger Publishers Inc., 1973), 284.

6 Ibid.

7 Waterhouse, Emergence of Italian Music, 72.

8 Pope Pius X, “Tra le Sollecitudini: Motu proprio promulgated on November 22, 1903,” accessed September 20, 2017, http://www.adoremus.org/ TraLeSollecitudini.html.

9 Ibid.

10 style of composition perfected in the sixteenth-century by Palestrina, stating that “Classic

Polyphony agrees admirably with Gregorian Chant, the supreme model of all sacred music, and hence it has been found worthy of a place side by side with Gregorian Chant, in the more solemn functions of the Church. This, too, must be restored largely in ecclesiastical functions.”10 Along with insisting on the return to music featuring Gregorian chant and “Classic Polyphony”, the

Pope also re-asserts the importance of the liturgical text: “that it must be sung as it is in the books, without alteration or inversion of the words, without undue repetition, without breaking syllables, and always in a manner intelligible to the faithful who listen.”11 The decree denounces the use of profane music accompanying the functions of public worship, declaring that “since modern music has risen mainly to serve profane uses, greater care must be taken with regard to it, in order that the musical compositions of modern style which are admitted in the Church may contain nothing profane, be free from reminiscences of motifs adopted in the theaters, and be not fashioned even in their external forms after the manner of profane pieces.”12 The Pope also devotes an entire sub-section of his decree to opera:

Among the different kinds of modern music, that which appears less suitable for accompanying the functions of public worship is the theatrical style, which was in the greatest vogue, especially in Italy, during the last century. This of its very nature is diametrically opposed to Gregorian Chant and Classic Polyphony, and therefore to the most important law of all good sacred music. Besides intrinsic structure, the rhythm and what is known as the conventionalism of this style adapt themselves but badly to the requirements of true liturgical music.13

10 Ibid.

11 Ibid.

12 Ibid.

13 Ibid.

This decree, along with another decree in 1903, stimulated a resurgence of scholarly interest in plainsong and Renaissance polyphony and in the revival of such techniques in contemporary compositions.14

Tebaldini was at the forefront of this resurgence in Italy, and Pizzetti was his star pupil. It was with Tebaldini that Pizzetti was exposed to the rich heritage of sixteenth- and seventeenth century Italian music and engaged in intensive study of modal, liturgical polyphony and

Gregorian chant.15 Pizzetti acknowledges Tebaldini’s influence in a letter from October 1901:

I declare on my word of honor that I have been seized with the desire to know Palestrina, Lassus and the other composers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries…the desire came to me in the lessons of maestro Tebaldini; if I have learnt to consider polyphony not as vain mechanical exercise but as a strong and noble form of art, I owe it to him.16

Pizzetti reaffirms the importance of this historical knowledge in his book, Musicisti

Contemporanei, stating that for the true artist “knowledge of a medieval balata…(or) a Latin antiphon…is more than a peep-hole open to the past; it is the conquest of a new means of seeing ever deeper into his own soul.”17

During his lifetime, Pizzetti was best known for his operas, of which sixteen were publicly performed. Since his death, however, attention has shifted to his unaccompanied choral music, which he composed throughout his career. In fact, many of these choral pieces were employed in his operas (the theater provided Pizzetti with an early forum for exploring choral

14 Waterhouse, Emergence of Italian Music, 40.

15 Hae Jong Lee, “The A Cappella Choral Music of Ildebrando Pizzetti” (DMA diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2005), 25.

16 Franco Sciannameo, “In Black and White: Pizzetti, Mussolini, and “Scipio Africanus,” The Musical Times 145 (Summer, 2004): 38.

17 Waterhouse, Emergence of Italian Music, 252.

12 composition, as he held the position of assistant director at the Teatro Regio di Parma between the years of 1902 and 1905).18

Pizzetti composed choral works throughout his life, and though he was not prolific in the genre, his works encompass a wide variety of sacred and secular texts. Pizzetti’s student, Mario

Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968), held Pizzetti’s choral music in the highest regard, pronouncing that he was “the greatest of the vocal polyphonists that Italy has had since the glorious period of choral polyphony in 1500-1600.”19 Italian music critic Fedele d’Amico (1912-

1990) admired “Chopin’s sensibility for the piano, Ravel’s for the orchestra, and Pizzetti’s for the chorus.”20 Despite the fact that he set numerous secular texts, his most well-known works are settings of traditional sacred texts: Messa di Requiem and De profundis for seven voices (1937), the latter of which is a psalm setting that features similar neo-Renaissance techniques as those used in Messa di Requiem.

Messa di Requiem was composed during a period of professional and personal transition: the period of composition (November 1, 1922 to January 2, 1923) coincided with the end of

Pizzetti’s tenure as teacher and director at the Instituto Musicale in Florence.21 This period was also marked by the loss of his first wife, Maria Stradivari, who died unexpectedly in 1920. It would be another four years before he would meet his second wife, so the composition of Messa di Requiem occurred during a solitary interlude.

18 Guido Gatti, lldebrando Pizzetti (London: Dennis Dobson Limited, 1951), 54.

19 M.Castelnuovo-Tedesco, “Ildebrando Pizzetti,” in The Book of Modern Composers, ed. D. Ewen (New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1950), 202.

20 John Waterhouse. Liner notes for Pizzetti: Messa di Requiem, Tre composizioni corali, Due composizioni corali. Stefan Parkman, The Danish National Radio Chamber Choir. Chandos 8964, 1991, compact disc.

21 Gatti, 13.

In 1922, a commission from the Accademia Filarmonica Romana in honor of the deceased King Umberto I (1844-1900) provided Pizzetti with the impetus to set the text of the

Requiem Mass. He had personal doubts about setting that particular text, as he reflected later in

1949:

I do not know if, without a commission, I would ever have composed Messa di Requiem. At the time of writing it [1923], I was in such an emotional state that I became overwhelmed by the tremendous immensity of the text. Time and time again I asked myself why I had returned to set religious texts to choral music. Was it because of a desire to believe in something extra-terrestrial beyond my comprehension? Or was it because of my need for the hope of peace? I do not know. Perhaps I composed the Messa out of the despair caused by my uncertainties, or my seeking comfort from a feeling of resignation through the means of choral expressions. Was that feeling of resignation, though, provoked by my inability to comprehend the meaning of our present existence or the mystery of the afterlife? Singing in coro lofty and solemn words not only means finding consolation for oneself but also, if possible, consoling others.22

Despite his doubts and misgivings, Pizzetti completed the project on January 2nd, 1923 – a composition period of less than three months.

Messa di Requiem premiered in Rome at the Pantheon on March 14, 1924, before a private audience that included Italy’s King Victor Emmanuel III (1869-1947) and his court. The performance commemorated the anniversary of King Umberto I’s birth, which took place on

March 14, 1844. Umberto “the Good” was murdered by an anarchist in 1900, and his body was entombed at the Pantheon. Alessandro Bustini led the Italian premiere of Messa di Requiem.

After this private Italian premiere, the first public performance of Messa took place in New York

City’s Carnegie Hall on March 25, 1924, with the Schola Cantorum of New York conducted by

Kurt Schindler (1882-1935; Schindler was a German-born American composer and conductor).

Messa di requiem per sole voci was published by Ricordi in 1923, and though it includes a keyboard reduction, it is noted to be used only as a guida - making it truly “for voices alone.”

22 Sciannameo, 30.

Pizzetti’s setting of the Requiem Mass clearly draws on the musical forms of Italy’s past and reflects his conservative beliefs about composition, counterpoint, and harmony. He makes use of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Gregorian chant, polyphony, groundbreaking madrigal techniques, and an inspired ability to dramatize a text – aligning his setting with the musical principles outlined in Pope Pius X’s Tra le sollecitudini. It is here that the influence of Giovanni

Luigi da Palestrina (1525-1594), Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611), Claudio Monteverdi

(1567-1643), and other sixteenth/seventeenth-century masters is so evident.

Messa di Requiem consists of five movements and seven texts standard to the Requiem

Mass. Voicings change from movement to movement, with as few as four voices in the Agnus

Dei and as many as twelve voices divided into three separate choirs in the Sanctus. Introit and

Kyrie are linked in a single movement, though their division is preserved with a silent, metered separation between the texts (unlike the Sanctus and Benedictus, which are joined without any sectional break). Also included is the sequence Dies irae, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei, and the responsory Libera me. Texts omitted in this setting include: Gradual (Requiem aeternam);

Tract (Absolve, Domine); Offertory (Domine Jesu Christe); Communion (Lux Aeterna);

Antiphon (In paradisum).

Pizzetti’s choice of texts is unusual, though it is not known why he chose to include certain texts from the Requiem Mass and why he omitted others. The Gradual and Tract are less common to settings of the Requiem Mass, and perhaps Pizzetti found the hopeful nature of the

Offertory, Communion, and Antiphon unfitting to his melancholy interpretation. It should be noted that Libera me and In paradisum are not actually a part of the text of the Catholic Mass for the Dead itself but for the burial rite that immediately follows, and did not start regularly appearing in musical settings until the nineteenth-century.

The manner in which Pizzetti sets the sacred text reflects conservative principles in that text repetition is minimal and limited to imitative sections. Text order is also preserved. The use of chant quotation, chant-like melodies and textures, and modes emulates Medieval and

Renaissance models. The Dies irae features the plainchant sequence melody, and the movement begins with exact quotations in octaves in the alto and bass voices, using the same pitches found in the Liber usualis (pp.1810-1813). Several other melodies throughout Messa di Requiem emulate the melodic contour and texture of chant. In addition to the use of church modes throughout the work, Pizzetti uses vertical sonorities to reflect an archaic vocabulary of consonance and dissonance (e.g. concluding sonorities at cadences are often a unison or perfect fifth).

The techniques of imitation, point-of-imitation, canon, and chant paraphrase in Messa di

Requiem emulate the prominent characteristics of Renaissance polyphony. Pizzetti uses canon regularly and with great variety throughout the entirety of the work. Other types of imitative writing also are prevalent in all movements. Polychoral writing and textures are used, particularly in the triple-choir Sanctus, harkening back to the coro spezzatti techniques of the

Venetian School. Chapters 2-7 feature an in-depth analysis of Messa di Requiem using five key style features of Renaissance polyphony (including imitation and polychoral textures), and explicates in detail how Pizzetti employed these various methods.

Messa di Requiem stands as a prime example of Pizzetti’s combined use of contrapuntal techniques, Romantic harmonies, and varied textures. Neo-Renaissance techniques accompany the text of the Requiem Mass, and the use of these techniques exemplifies a shift in Italian sacred music from the nineteenth to early twentieth century and align it with Pope Pius X’s Tra le sollecitudini moto proprio of 1903.

Statement of Primary Thesis

The Messa di Requiem (1922) of Ildebrando Pizzetti exhibits a wide range of compositional techniques developed during the sixteenth century (including the use of Gregorian chant, Palestrina-style imitative unaccompanied polyphony, and polychoral writing), in contrast to the more operatic church music generally favored in Italy during the nineteenth century. His compositional approach in this work thus clearly reflects the broad influence of Pope Pius X’s

Tra le sollecitudini moto proprio of 1903, which called for a return to the polyphonic styles developed for Catholic church music during the Counter Reformation.

Review of the Scholarly Literature

There is relatively little scholarly literature available on the choral music of Ildebrando

Pizzetti, aside from occasional mentions in surveys of twentieth-century Italian music. The majority of the literature available on Pizzetti focuses on his operas and vocal music. Despite three commercial recordings of Messa di Requiem in the past forty years (one of which includes a performance by American conductor Craig Hella Johnson and his professional ensemble

Conspirare), the work is not often performed. Its lack of popularity may be due in part to the composer’s relative obscurity in the choral canon, and to the difficulty of the piece itself.

A dissertation by Hae Jong Lee (2004) entitled The A Cappella Choral Music of

Ildebrando Pizzetti serves as a primary source for this study.23 Lee surveys all of the unaccompanied choral music of Pizzetti, outlining the composer’s salient style features based on an analysis of his works as a whole. While Lee devotes a chapter to Messa di Requiem, it is a general overview of the work. He uses specific examples from the Messa di Requiem in other

23 Hae Jong Lee, “The A Cappella Choral Music of Ildebrando Pizzetti,” (DMA diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2005).

17 chapters to support conclusions regarding compositional style, but these are limited to only a few examples and focus on isolated segments from one particular movement. Lee’s overview provides an excellent foundation on which to create an in-depth analysis of what is arguably

Pizzetti’s most significant composition, which will enable an understanding of the context in which it was born.

A recent article in The Choral Scholar by Timothy Westerhaus, entitled Ildebrando

Pizzetti’s Messa di Requiem: Conservatively Neo-Renaissance yet Distinctly Dramatic is the only piece of literature available that focuses specifically on this work.24 It provides background on the composer’s life, background on political and cultural activity in nineteenth- and twentieth- century Italy, and on activity in the Roman Catholic Church at the same time. The article also provides an overview of the composition’s origin, and follows with an overview of the work itself. It discusses the five style characteristics that this study will focus on, but only a small number of specific examples are provided. The article is limited by the short journal length, and therefore is lacking a detailed analysis.

The Westerhaus article will serve as a starting point for this in-depth analysis of Messa di

Requiem. Where Westerhaus makes general observations regarding style characteristics, I will further the discussion by finding and analyzing all style characteristics found in Pizzetti’s composition and applying those characteristics to an informed performance practice. I will go beyond providing a detailed analysis and make rehearsal and performance suggestions that will result in an historically and stylistically informed performance. This will provide an in-depth understanding of how Pizzetti’s music functions and how that understanding may be manifest by the conductor.

24 Timothy Westerhaus, "Ildebrando Pizzetti's Messa di Requiem: Conservatively Neo-Renaissance yet Distinctly Dramatic," The Choral Scholar 4, no. 1 (2014): 3-20.

Methodology

The principal steps taken to investigate the subject were as follows: I obtained and analyzed all written material about Ildebrando Pizzetti, focusing on his choral music. From these writings, I developed an understanding of the context in which Pizzetti’s salient style features developed, and identified the important style features that are representative of Messa di

Requiem. Those style features are:

A. Gregorian chant B. Use of modality/harmonic language C. Falsobordone D. Polychoral texture E. Imitation

These five style features were selected because they either represent the significant features set forth in Pope Pius X’s Tra le sollecitudini moto proprio of 1903 (Gregorian chant and imitation), or they represent fifteenth- and sixteenth-century compositional styles that play an important role in the overall structure of Messa di Requiem (use of modality/harmonic language, falsobordone, and polychoral texture). While other features may be present, they either do not occur with enough regularity to constitute significance, or do not play an important role in informing the structure of the piece (for example, there are only a few instances of polychoral texture and falsobordone present, but polychoral texture determines the entire Sanctus movement, and falsobordone determines the beginning and end of the Libera me movement).

Using these style features, an in-depth analysis of Pizzetti’s Messa di Requiem was undertaken. The only edition of this work available was used, published by G. Ricordi & Co. in

1923. The publisher confirms that all markings included in the score belong to Pizzetti and match those in his original manuscript, and that no editorial additions were made during publication.

These style features represent the manifestation of the composer’s views, of music in the Roman

Catholic Church, and Italian sacred music in the early twentieth century. The analysis supports the primary thesis, demonstrating that Pizzetti makes full use of compositional methods of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, exemplifying a shift in Italian sacred music and aligning it with the musical principles outlined in Pope Pius X’s Tra le sollecitudini. I then applied this demonstration of Pizzetti’s compositional methods to modern day performance practice, explicating in detail how a conductor could approach the rehearsal and performance of this work.

Chapter 2: Analysis of Messa di Requiem - Gregorian Chant

There are several instances in the Dies irae movement in which Pizzetti either directly quotes or paraphrases the Dies irae chant from the Mass for the Dead. In fact, the movement is built entirely on these chant quotes and paraphrases (verses 1-6 and 13-14 directly quote or closely paraphrase the original chant, while fragments of the chant can be found in at least one voice part in the setting of every other verse with few exceptions – see Appendix 1 for full text and translation by verse). Musical example 2.1 contains the opening phrase of the Dies irae movement (only the soprano and contralto voices are shown of the full six-voice texture), and musical example 2.2 shows the corresponding chant from the Liber usualis. The comparison of these two examples clearly demonstrates Pizzetti’s quotation of the Dies irae chant which occurs throughout this movement (paired with the one non-liturgical addition Pizzetti makes to the whole work – the interjection of the syllable “oh”).

Musical Example 2.1. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, soprano/contralto, measures 1-10

Musical Example 2.2. Dies irae chant from Liber usualis (p. 1810)

Musical example 2.3 contains another verse of the Dies irae chant, though in this case

Pizzetti presents it as a paraphrase (it still loosely resembles the original chant, though Pizzetti has taken liberty with the melodic shape and rhythm). The descending octave arpeggio represents

Pizzetti’s furthest departure from the original chant melody in this movement. Musical example

2.4 shows the corresponding chant from the Liber usualis.

Musical Example 2.3. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 47-51, soprano II/alto

Musical Example 2.4. Dies irae chant from Liber usualis (p. 1810)

Comparison of Pizzetti’s chant melody with the original plainsong demonstrates his extensive use of chant quoting and paraphrasing. With the exception of verse six (see Musical

Example 2.3), Pizzetti’s alterations to the original chant melody are minimal. For example, at the

22 beginning of verse two (quantus tremor est futurus, quando judex est venturus) Pizzetti merely

“fills in” the gaps from the original chant using stepwise eighth notes, creating a rhythmically ornamented version of the chant using passing tones that contrasts it from the first verse (see

Musical Example 2.5). These rhythmic ornaments can be found throughout Pizzetti’s setting of the first six verses, and are the primary way in which he alters the melody.

In addition to the use of passing tones to ornament the melodic line, Pizzetti adds rhythmic interest with the occasional change of meter to highlight text-stress (measures 26-28, mors stupebit). He also makes use of triplet rhythms in the melodic line which contributes to the unmetered and free-flowing nature of the opening fifty measures (for example, eighth-note triplets in measure 32 on the word judicanti and quarter-note triplets in measure 38 on the word continetur, as seen in Musical Examples 2.6 and 2.7 respectively). With the addition of passing tones and triplet rhythms, Pizzetti creates a melodic line that sounds unmetered within the confines of a rhythmically-prescribed structure.

Musical Example 2.5. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 9-14

Musical Example 2.6. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 30-34

Musical Example 2.7. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 35-39

Pizzetti returns to the chant quotation/paraphrase that begins the movement for his setting of verses 13-14. This time setting a much briefer passage of text, Pizzetti uses fewer rhythmic and melodic ornaments to alter the chant melody here than he does in the first six verses. The construct is nearly identical however, with the exception of the chant melody being doubled in four voices as opposed to the two voices of the first six verses.

Pizzetti’s one non-liturgical addition, the melody set to the word “oh,” acts as a haunting descant to the chant melody of verses 1-6 and 13-14. Like the chant, it is doubled in two voice

24 parts (with the exception of verse five, which is set only for baritone and bass). The melody consists of ascending and descending step-wise motion with an ascending four-sixteenth-note motive that unifies each melodic fragment (see Musical Examples 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, and 2.7). The step-wise motion and rhythmic simplicity illustrate characteristics of chant, though the lowered seconds and raised fourths (E-flat and G-sharp) that appear throughout this non-liturgical descant set it apart from the rest of Pizzetti’s chant-influenced melodic writing. Given the nature of the text of the Dies irae sequence, this stands as an example of masterfully subtle text-painting by the composer. It is not known why Pizzetti chose to make this one non-liturgical addition, or what the significance of the mono-syllabic exclamation is (the word is spelled “oh” in all instances, and always followed by an exclamation), but the affect is of polychoral commentary on the Dies irae text. Depending on the given verse and the manner in which Pizzetti has treated the respective verse, the accompanying “oh!” commentary ranges in affect from shock, to terror, to resignation.

Pizzetti does not limit his method of quoting or paraphrasing the Dies irae chant melody to verses 1-6 and 13-14: all other verse settings (with the exception of 10, 15, 16, and 19) prominently feature some version of the chant melody in at least one voice. Musical Example 2.8 shows the beginning of verse 7, in which the chant melody is directly quoted in the bass voice in measures 50-53, and then paraphrased canonically in upper voices. Verse 8, shown in Musical

Example 2.9, again features a direct quote in the bass voices (though this time he quotes two lines of chant, as opposed to only one in verse 7), while the soprano and tenor voices have imitative material and the alto voices interject with the non-liturgical “oh” melody from verses 1-

Musical Example 2.8. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 50-55

Musical Example 2.9. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 66-70

The chant is paraphrased in verse 9 in the bass II voice, and the paraphrase is imitated in the tenor voices (the non-liturgical “oh” is presented by the alto voice). In this case however,

Pizzetti uses a paraphrase of the chant melody from the second half of the verse to set the text of the first half of the verse. Musical Example 2.10 shows the original chant of the full verse from the Liber usualis, and Pizzetti’s paraphrase of the first half of the verse (Recordare, Jesu pie) is shown in Musical Example 2.11. Pizzetti uses the chant melody of the second half of the verse

(Quod sum causa tuae viae) twice to unify this transitional section. Musical Example 2.12 shows his setting of the second half of the verse, which is nearly musically identical to the first half.

Musical Example 2.10. Dies irae chant from Liber usualis (p. 1811)

Musical Example 2.11. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, bass II, measures 76-80

Musical Example 2.12. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 81-85

Verse 10, which transitions back to musical material first presented in Musical Example

2.9, is the first of four verses in which no trace of the original chant is found. The melodic material is presented in imitation, and though it does not quote or paraphrase the Dies irae chant, the melody that Pizzetti constructs is chant-like in nature (see Musical Example 2.13), and still employs the non-liturgical “oh” from previous sections. The chant melody returns to the bass voices in verse 11, and the first part of the verse is musically identical to verse 8 (though transposed up a half-step). In verse 12, Pizzetti presents the chant melody as a paraphrase in the second tenor voice with imitative material built on a half-step present in other voices. The chant melody that is paraphrased in this verse is not the original melody prescribed to this text. As he did in previous sections, Pizzetti paraphrases his setting for the entire verse using the chant melody for only the second half of the verse.

Musical Example 2.13. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 91-95

Following the return of the chant paraphrase/non-liturgical descant that began the movement and returned for verses 13-14, Pizzetti presents his largest section of original melodic material for verses 15-16 (see Musical Example 2.14). The material is presented imitatively at the start of verse 15, and bears many similarities to the chant melodies that have come before it

(stepwise motion, eighth-note triplet figures, etc.). The melodic material is repeated in the lower voices at the start of verse 16, after which descending step-wise melismatic writing transitions to verse 17. Musical Example 2.15 depicts the beginning of verse 17, where Pizzetti once again paraphrases a chant melody not prescribed to the actual text of the verse he sets (see Musical

Example 2.16 for the excerpt of the chant from the Liber usualis). He paraphrases the melody of the final line of the verse for the first two stanzas (Oro supplex et acclinis, Cor contritum quasi cinis), and imitates this paraphrase in four other voices. The non-liturgical “oh” punctuates this

29 imitative paraphrase in the two outer voices. The final stanza of the verse is set by Pizzetti without any acknowledgement of the original melody.

Musical Example 2.14. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 139-143

Musical Example 2.15. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 159-163

Musical Example 2.16. Dies irae chant from Liber usualis (p. 1812)

The beginning of the 18th verse does not reference any chant melody, and will be discussed in further detail in the chapter regarding falsobordone. The second two lines of the verse paraphrase the same chant melody that was seen in verse 17, though this is not the prescribed chant melody for these lines of text. The paraphrase is presented in the second alto and second bass voices. Verse 19, the concluding verse of the sequence, does not reference any chant melody. The Pie Jesu Domine text is constructed around ascending triadic figures, imitated in a double choir format (see Musical Example 5.3).

It is not known why Pizzetti chose to only quote and paraphrase the Dies irae chant melody and not include chant quotes or paraphrases in the other four movements. Perhaps the popularity of the Dies irae melody was a factor in his choice to use the chant so extensively, but this is only speculation. Whatever the reason, the haunting melody and its connotations of wrath and gloom create a hauntingly dark affect.

As noted above in reference to the Dies irae movement, Pizzetti also uses chant as a model to construct new melodies – in fact, most of his melodies are built in this style. Before looking at other examples in which Pizzetti does this, the general principles of Gregorian chant that Pizzetti appropriated must first be clarified. These include the use of mostly conjunct

31 melodic motion and the absence of bar lines. The following examples from the opening movement illustrate all three melodic styles of chant (syllabic, neumatic, and melismatic).

Syllabic chant is characterized by each syllable being sung to a single tone. Neumatic chant is more embellished and typically has two to four notes per syllable. Melismatic chant is the most ornate, in which melodies are sung on a single sustained vowel with as little as five to six notes per syllable. An excerpt from the Liber usualis is found in Musical Example 2.19, which shows the similarities between actual prescribed chant melodies and Pizzetti’s newly composed chant- like melodies. Musical Example 2.17 shows both syllabic and neumatic chant (neumatic in beats three and four of measure five, beat four of measure six, and beat two of measure seven).

Musical Example 2.18 is a clear example of melismatic chant in measures 43-45.

Musical Example 2.17. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 5-7, soprano

Musical Example 2.18. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 41-45, alto

Musical Example 2.19. Kyrie, Liber usualis p. 1807

Chant-like melodies are less pervasive in the third movement (Sanctus) as a result of the triple choir format used by the composer, though the concluding imitative section makes use of a theme that illustrates all three melodic styles of chant set forth previously (see Musical Example

2.20). The melodic theme is presented first in choir I second soprano, followed by choir II baritone and choir II first tenor.

Musical Example 2.20. Messa di Requiem, Sanctus, choir I/II, measures 49-56

The fourth movement (Agnus Dei) is built almost entirely on imitative chant-like melodies (see Musical Example 2.21). The melody that begins the movement in the soprano voice is both syllabic and neumatic, and is the thematic material on which the first 19 measures of the Agnus Dei setting is based. Voices following the initial soprano/alto entrance, when not imitating the primary theme, still present melodic material that illustrates the style of chant

33 appropriated by Pizzetti (in this case, mostly conjunct motion and syllabic melodic writing). The second half of the movement (measures 20-29) features a soprano melody that is both neumatic and melismatic, with mostly conjunct motion. The bottom three voices accompany the soprano voice with a mostly syllabic melody that moves in conjunct motion. The parallel motion between the alto, tenor, and bass voice in the final ten measures is reminiscent of organum, another aspect of chant incorporated by Pizzetti.

Musical Example 2.21. Messa di Requiem, Agnus Dei, measures 20-29

Organum-like writing is also prevalent in Libera me, the final movement of Messa di

Requiem. Musical Example 2.22 shows the first 13 measures of the concluding movement.

Beginning in measure five, the alto, tenor, baritone, and bass voices have conjunct melodies that are both syllabic and neumatic, and which move parallel to each other. This motion reappears in measures 29-31, and again in the final eight measures of the piece. Other chant-like melodies can

35 be found throughout the Libera me movement, such as the tenor voice in measures 14-18 and the alto voice in measures 22-27 (as seen in Musical Examples 2.23 and 2.24). Both melodies in this case are presented on top of a half-step undulating bass line. The tenor melody is paired with octave interjections of text from the alto and baritone, and the alto melody is paired with an A-E dyadic interjection of text.

Musical Example 2.22. Messa di Requiem, Libera me, measures 1-13

Musical Example 2.23. Messa di Requiem, Libera me, measures 14-21

Musical Example 2.24. Messa di Requiem, Libera me, measures 22-28

Chapter 3: Analysis of Messa di Requiem - Use of Modality

In his commentary on La Nave (incidental music for chorus and orchestra), Pizzetti makes clear his philosophy about the use of modes in contemporary music:

Accordingly, I wrote the melodies of La Nave in the forgotten modes of primitive liturgical music, which is the same as saying that I wrote them in the modes of Greco- Latin music. When I came to compose the melody for each chorus I selected the mode, which corresponded most exactly in character to the meaning and expression of the text of the poem. I did not choose to regard this character as being fixed by the definition which ancient Greek or Latin theorists, philosophers or the first musicologists of the Church had prescribed, but preferred to cultivate a melodic and personal sense of it deep down in my own being. Sometimes it has happened that a given mode has acquired in my music a richer and more varied expressive character, one that in not a few cases has been far from corresponding to the definition offered by this or that ancient writer. This has been due to the polyphony, which, showing up the musical theme in a different light and redistributing the shadows, has emphasized one of the expressive characteristics of the mode or has reduced its force.25

Every movement of Pizzetti’s Messa includes some aspect of modal practice – modal final, tenor (reciting tone), ambitus, and hierarchy of cadential pitches. Evidence of this can be found in melodic structures, the resulting harmony, and cadences. For example, the first Kyrie concludes with a Phrygian cadence to D in the soprano and bass (Musical Example 3.1). The fugal Kyrie melodies are constructed in the Phrygian mode (Musical Example 3.2), and the entire work concludes with an open D-A dyad (Musical Example 3.3).

Musical Example 3.1. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 53-54, soprano/bass II

25 Ildebrando Pizzetti, “La musica per La Nave di Gabriele D’Annunzio,” trans. David Moore, Rivista Musicale Italiana, vol. XIV (1907), 857-8.

Musical Example 3.2. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 61-65, soprano/alto

Musical Example 3.3. Messa di Requiem, Libera me, measures 57-60

Large sections of the Dies irae movement are constructed in the Dorian mode. The chant melodies in verses 1-6 (measures 1-50) and verses 13-14 (measures 124-141) are in the Dorian mode, with only two altered pitches (B-natural) for the text Tuba mirum and Mors stupebit

(measures 19 and 27 respectively). The non-liturgical “oh” that accompanies the chant in these two sections is less decidedly Dorian, with frequent raised fourths creating tritones with the chant melody. The raised fourths, raised sixths, and lowered seconds are appropriate given that this is the one non-liturgical word set by Pizzetti in the entire work. They create a sense of instability, and the result when paired with the stoic Dorian chant is haunting and unsettling (see

Musical Examples 2.1, 2.5, 2.6, and 2.7).

The final Libera me movement is the most modal of the piece, beginning with a striking

D-A dyad in the lower four voices. The entrance of the soprano voice affirms the Dorian mode, which carries through the organum-like writing of measures 5-12, concluding with another D-A dyad (see Musical Example 2.22). A two-note ostinato begins in the bass voice in measure 13, alternating between D and E-flat. This, combined with the tenor chant melody, suggests D

Phrygian (see Musical Example 2.23). The following alto melody receives similar treatment, though the alto melody, the octave interjections on E and F, and the undulating bass figure (now an A and B-flat in the baritone) suggest a move to A Phrygian (see Musical Example 2.24). An organum-like texture transitions back to D Dorian, which is re-affirmed by another D-A cadential dyad in measure 34. Pizzetti briefly detours to D major for the return of the text

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis, though the presence of a lowered seventh in an initial ascending motive suggests G Mixolydian (see Musical Example

3.4). Either way, it is a respite from the austerity of the rest of the movement, and an appropriate one given the text.

Musica Example 3.4. Messa di Requiem, Libera me, measures 37-41

Following a D major cadence at the end of the Requiem aeternam section, D Dorian returns for the remainder of the Libera me movement. Material from the beginning of the movement returns, concluding the entire work with a D-A dyad. Following the lush Sanctus and the Agnus Dei (which concludes in F major), this almost entirely modal movement with its noticeable absence of thirds, chant-like melodies, and organum-inspired harmonic movement is austere, ascetic, and unsettling.

The difference in harmonic language from movement to movement is not surprising, given Pizzetti’s preference of cultivating “a melodic and personal sense” of a given mode “deep down in his own being” based on what he felt “corresponded most exactly in character to the meaning and expression of the text.” The result being that not one movement is like the other, and the ensuing harmonic language is unique. The F major Sanctus movement - which is brimming with extended tertian harmony and the modal Libera me movement should not seem as though they belong to the same work. Pizzetti’s melodic writing however, which is the foundation of his harmonic language, unifies these movements and supports his statement regarding his philosophy of the use of modes in contemporary music (see above).

Chapter 4: Analysis of Messa di Requiem - Falsobordone

Pizzetti often uses a texture that can be referred to as falsobordone-like. This is defined by musicologist Allen W. Atlas as being “a kind of declamatory, chordal recitative on a repeated triad, with the singers declaiming the text as if they were speaking naturally.”26 A likely source for this is Pizzetti’s awareness and veneration of the music of Claudio Monteverdi, who often employed a similar technique. An example of the way in which Monteverdi uses this technique:

Musical Example 4.1. Claudio Monteverdi, Hor che’l ciel e la terra, measures 1-8

26 Allan W. Atlas, Renaissance Music: A Norton Introduction to Music History (New York & London: W. W. Norton & Company, 1998), 646.

Musical Example 4.2. Claudio Monteverdi, Altri canti di Marte, measures 1-6

This technique was not created by Monteverdi – in fact, it is used in many sixteenth- century psalm settings (and Monteverdi’s own Vespro della Beata Vergine of 1610).27 Pizzetti achieves a similar affect, also specifically notating the rhythms in the “speech-like” fragment.

This is not technically a strict example of falsobordone, but that is the effect and derives from the use of this texture by Monteverdi and other early Italian composers.

Pizzetti first uses this technique in the sequence Dies irae, for the text in verse 18:

Lacrimosa dies illa, Qua resurget ex favilla. The rhythms are notated as if imitating speech, and there is no change in pitch. What makes this passage unique is that Pizzetti uses this technique imitatively: the second soprano, second tenor, and baritone imitate the pattern established by the second alto and bass two beats prior. This passage is also missing the third scale degree, so while

27 Ibid.

45 it is not in fact a triad normally seen in falsoborne-like passages, the affect is very similar. This can be seen in Musical Example 4.3.

Musical Example 4.3. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 170-174

This technique also features prominently in the final movement of the work, Libera me.

Pizzetti again notates the rhythms of the opening line of text to imitate speech and leaves out the third (as seen in Musical Example 4.4). This results in a quintuplet and dotted eighths/sixteenths

– rhythmic figures not often seen in this work. The maintaining of a single pitch on a line of text creates a chant-like effect, which leads directly into the passages that imitate organum. The opening 13 measures of this movement (as seen in Musical Example 2.22) contain every sixteenth-century compositional technique discussed up until this point, and the evocatively archaic result is an appropriate fit for the text: Libera me, Domine, de morte æterna, in die illa tremenda: Quando cœli movendi sunt et terra, Dum veneris iudicare saeculum per ignem

(Deliver me, O Lord, from death eternal on that fearful day, When the heavens and the earth shall be moved, When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire).

Musical Example 4.4. Messa di Requiem, Libera me, measures 1-3

Chapter 5: Analysis of Messa di Requiem - Polychoral texture

One of the important features of Italian choral music in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries is the use of polychoral or antiphonal writing. This term applies to

“compositions in which the ensemble (chorus with or without the orchestra) is divided into several (usually two or three) distinct groups performing singly (in alternation) as well as jointly.”28 Pizzetti’s use of this technique is not surprising, given his musical upbringing. There are several instances of this technique within his Messa di Requiem, some overt and others much more subtle.

The most overt of Pizzetti’s usage of polychoral writing is the Sanctus movement, which is scored for triple choir. Each choir consists of four voices: choir I – SSAA; choir II – TTBB; choir III – TTBB. The movement opens with an ascending motive on the word Sanctus in choir I that is imitated by choir III and choir II respectively. This happens twice before the third choir takes on a role akin to an instrumental accompaniment, while the first two choirs engage in more florid imitation (see Musical Example 5.1). Moving forward, various parts of the separate choirs take part in either imitation of a melodic theme (Pleni sunt coeli) or pedal tones, leading to the first large cadence of the movement (see Musical Example 6.5).

28 Harvard Dictionary of Music, 2nd ed., s.v. “Polychoral Style.”

Musical Example 5.1. Messa di Requiem, Sanctus, measures 1-10

Following this cadence in measures 35-36, a second melodic theme (Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini) is passed around by six voice parts across the three choirs, while the remainder sustain pedal tones. Pizzetti then changes textures by presenting the melody homophonically in five voices (first soprano and both altos of choir I, and both basses of choir

III), as seen in Musical Example 5.2. Following this brief moment of homophony, Pizzetti then begins an extended 24-measure crescendo to the conclusion of the movement. This is achieved by gradually adding voices with pedal tones on the text Hosanna in excelsis. Only two pitches (A

50 and C) are presented initially, in two voices of both choir I and choir II. A third voice in both choir I and II then add E-flat, resulting in four measures of a diminished triad built on A. The addition of F and A-flat changes this to an F minor seven chord, which grows into a rousing D- flat seven chord with an added second via a D half-diminished seven chord. This is the first time since the opening of the movement that all voices are singing simultaneously. The movement ends with all three choirs singing homophonically in an extended I-IV-I cadence in F major.

Musical Example 5.2. Messa di Requiem, Sanctus, measures 49-56

A subtler use of polychoral writing is found in the Dies irae movement. Pizzetti’s setting of the chant melody accompanied by the non-liturgical “oh” for verses 1-6 and 13-14 is reminiscent of polychoral writing, given that there are two distinct groups performing separate musical material simultaneously. The conclusion of the Dies irae movement clearly features two separate performing forces: the bottom four voices and the top four voices. As seen in Musical

Example 5.3, the bottom voices present the Pie Jesu text, and the top four voices imitate it strictly a full measure later. This is repeated (though the imitation is not as strict) for the text dona eis requiem.

Musical Example 5.3. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 180-184

Chapter 6: Analysis of Messa di Requiem - Imitation

Pizzetti generously employs various techniques of imitation in Messa di Requiem, a prominent characteristic of Renaissance polyphony. Pizzetti uses imitative and canonic writing regularly and with great variety throughout the entirety of the work. Musical Examples 6.1-6.3 feature canonic writing. Musical Example 6.1 shows strict canon between the soprano and tenor I voice, with the alto voice following in imitation. Musical Example 6.2 features point of imitation among all five voices in D Phrygian, with each voice introducing the subject on either an A pitch or a D pitch. Musical Example 6.3 illustrates imitation between two voices, though not completely strict (it begins canonically then becomes free).

Musical Example 6.1. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, soprano/alto/tenor I, measures 5-8

Musical Example 6.2. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 41-50

Musical Example 6.3. Messa di Requiem, Agnus Dei, soprano/alto, measures 1-5

Musical Examples 6.4, 2.9, and 2.15 highlight how Pizzetti uses imitative writing in denser textures – all five examples below are written for at least six voices. Musical example 6.4 features two subjects – the “quid sum miser” figure introduced in the alto II voice, and the chant paraphrase introduced in the bass II voice. Subject entrances are not evenly metered, but Pizzetti uses these staggered entrances to build dynamic and textural intensity over a period of fifteen measures. Musical example 2.9, above, features paired imitation between the soprano and tenor voices, while the bass voices present the chant paraphrase and the alto voices the “oh” interjection (first seen in Musical example 1a). Musical example 2.15 shows canonic writing between five voices featuring the loose chant paraphrase, while the soprano I and bass II present the “oh” interjection, doubled at the octave.

Musical Example 6.4. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, measures 50-60

Musical Example 5.4 shows measures 15-24 of the Sanctus movement, in which a melodic theme is introduced in the second alto voice of choir I, and then directly imitated at the rate of a measure by the other three voices of choir I and the baritone of choirs II and III. Three voices repeat this figure more than once, resulting in the rising pentatonic figure sounding in every measure of this section. Pizzetti does something similar in measures 33-56 of the movement, using six voices across the three choirs to present a melody in imitation. This is repeated three times, with each imitation separated by only two beats. Each repetition modulates, the first time upward by a half-step, and the second time upward by a whole-step. The imitation is strict between two of the three voices in each repetition. The opening ten measures of the

Sanctus movement also features imitation between each of the choirs (as seen in Musical

Example 5.1).

Musical Example 6.5. Messa di Requiem, Sanctus, measures 11-24

In many cases, Pizzetti will present a melody in a single voice, and then a pair of voices follow with imitative material. Musical Example 6.6 shows an example of this from the Dies irae movement. Inversely, he also will present a melody in a pair of voices, with imitative material following in a single voice (as seen in measures 21-23 of the Requiem movement in Musical

Example 6.7). Immediately following, Pizzetti is freer with his imitative writing. The alto voice repeats the opening melody of the work (which is sung by the bass II, as seen in Musical

Example 6.8), while the soprano, tenor, and baritone echo a scalar descending melismatic figure over a pedal D in the bass II. All of these chant-like melodies reinforce the Dorian mode that has been present from the start of the movement.

Musical Example 6.6. Messa di Requiem, Dies irae, tenor II/bass I/bass II, measures 149-151

Musical Example 6.7. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 20-29

Musical Example 6.8. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, bass II, measures 1-3

It is clear from the examples listed above that Pizzetti’s use of imitation is deliberate and extensive. This sixteenth-century technique is used in every movement and stands as a testament to Pizzetti’s reverence of sixteenth-century polyphonic techniques. In his own words, “I have learnt to consider polyphony not as vain mechanical exercise but as a strong and noble form of art.”

Chapter 7: Performance Considerations

The wide variety of textures present in this work– as minimal as two voices at one time and as dense as 12 voices – is the primary factor in considering ensemble accessibility and size.

One would need a choir large enough to sustain eight to twelve-voice polyphonic writing over an extended period of time. The difficulty of the musical material, along with the length, makes this work less accessible to younger voices, inexperienced singers, and smaller ensembles. The ideal performing group would be an ensemble of professional singers, preferably at least 32 voices

(allowing for eight on a part in four-part textures and four on a part in eight-part textures). This smaller ensemble size would only be effective with professional voices, however. Another possibility would be a university ensemble of advanced singers, preferably 45-50 voices.

Additional factors when considering accessibility are range and tessitura. While Pizzetti does not explore the extremes of ranges for any of the voices, the soprano and bass spend a majority of the work singing in a range that might prove difficult for younger voices to sustain

(above the staff and below the staff, respectively). On top of challenges presented by tessitura, the senza-vibrato tone quality that Pizzetti’s modal and polyphonic writing necessitates could also be challenging for younger singers, particularly given the tessitura of the upper voices.

Requiem

Principles of performing chant govern the performance of this movement, as the movement is conceived around chant-like melodies. These include but are not limited to: placement of arsis and thesis curves, emphasis of expressive intervals, emphasis of text-stress, and maintaining a free-flowing, speech-like line. The opening statement of text - Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine – is set in the bass II voice and features a newly composed melody

61 by Pizzetti that is evocative of chant (see Musical Example 6.8). Pizzetti uses crescendo and decrescendo markings to emphasize text-stress and indicate phrase shape (with emphasis being placed on the penultimate syllable of aeternam and the initial syllable of eis). Sustained, legato singing is desirable for this opening phrase, with no interruption in the sound. Pizzetti has composed the melody so that it will sound un-metered to the listener, and singers must strive to ensure that this is communicated. As it is only marked piano and set in the lowest voices, the sound should never become heavy or dark (particularly as it descends). The tempo indication

Largo, non lento recommends a broad tempo that is not too slow (approximately 45-50 bpm).

The integrity of the chant-like melodies will be sacrificed if the tempo moves too quickly

(though ensemble size and performance space will affect any tempo choice made by the conductor).

Measures 5-8 feature imitative writing in the upper three voices. Imitation is strict between soprano and tenor, while the alto voice (which enters with the melody last) is marked dynamically by Pizzetti as being slightly louder than the other two voices. These chant-like melodies should be performed as the opening melody, but with special care that the imitative entrances are heard and that the texture remains transparent (particularly in measure eight when the alto voice ends the phrase with dissonant passing tones). A homophonic repetition of the text follows, and care should be taken so that this spacious chord does not sound louder than the mezzo forte prescribed by the composer. With an F-sharp in the soprano voice (the highest pitch of the movement) this could easily become the loudest point of the movement, which was not the composer’s intent. The repetition of text remains mostly homophonic, and is marked back down to pianissimo before the next line of text - Te decet hymnus - is presented imitatively by all five voices. Each of these point-of-imitation entrances should be clearly heard. Pizzetti’s mezzo-forte

62 for the soprano entrance in measure 16 reinforces the place of prominence this line occupies in this particular passage.

As the soprano, tenor, bass I and bass II end their respective phrases on the previous line of text, the next line of text is introduced by a solo alto melody. It should be noted that this is the only forte dynamic of the entire movement. The chant-like melody (exaudi orationem meam) should emerge strongly from the texture, which means the decrescendo over the soprano E in measure 19 must be taken seriously (see Musical Example 7.1). This line operates as a solo melody, and should be shaped similarly to the opening chant melody in the bass II voice.

Musical Example 7.1. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, soprano/alto, measures 15-23

The next imitative section acts as a transition back to the musical material first presented in measure five. Pizzetti marks phrase shape and text-stress very clearly here, and indicates that the alto melody in measures 24-28 should be the primary focus. As with measures 8-9, care should be taken in the homophonic, spacious writing of measures 28-29 so that it does not seem climactic.

A double-bar line follows the final repetition of the luceat eis text. The three beats of silence indicated by the composer before the Kyrie section begins should not be hurried – the D major cadence ending the first section and the D Phrygian that begins the Kyrie should sound as though they belong to two separate movements (though they are scored together). Pizzetti marks each of these point-of-imitation entrances as pianissimo monotono. This, plus the absence of his usual dynamic markings indicating phrase shape, implies that this section should be sung dryly – without color or shape. The desired affect is emotionless and detached, and in context of the archaic sonorities and chant-like melodies it is quite haunting. The descending step-wise melismatic figures that transition into the Christe section are marked first with poco accelerando, and then trattenuto (similar to ritardando) – these are very slight changes in tempi.

As is traditional in settings of this text, the Christe section is scored more intimately (only the bottom three voices). The tenor melody switches between D Phrygian and D major every two bars, therefore intonation (particular on B-natural and F-sharp) is critical. The change in mode over the melody that extends four measures without a break might require stagger breathing in order to sustain the line and maintain intonation. The D major cadence ending this section leads into a recapitulation of the imitative Kyrie chant that began this portion of the movement, this time only in the upper three voices. A quarter-note quintuplet figure is used in the soprano voice in the approach to the final cadence (which uses all five voices) – care must be taken that this does not sound too “metered” in the effort to execute this difficult rhythmic figure (see Musical

Example 7.2)

Musical Example 7.2. Messa di Requiem, Requiem, measures 66-72

Dies Irae

The primary challenge in successfully performing this movement lies in the execution of the extended passages of chant used by the composer for verses 1-6 and 13-14 of this sequence.

Though verses one through six are set for only four of the eight voice parts (second soprano, alto, second tenor, and bass), both soprano sections could sing the second soprano part and both tenor sections sing the second tenor part. This might obscure the desired balance that Pizzetti was trying to achieve, but by observing his dynamic markings and ensuring that the plainchant paraphrase is always dominant, issues of balance can be avoided.

Principles of singing chant and chant-like melodies govern the performance of this movement, especially when the sequence chant is quoted or paraphrased. The vocal quality should be sustained, but without too much weight to allow for a ‘transparency’ of texture.

Articulations occasionally vary (Pizzetti includes tenuto markings to accent certain phrases), but

65 overall, the natural text-stress and the rise and fall of the chant should govern the phrasing. The accompanimental “oh”s should be treated similarly, observing Pizzetti’s dynamic markings which serve to indicate phrase shape, maintaining a sustained, legato sound within the prescribed dynamic, and never allowing too much weight to creep into the haunting melodic figures.

Pizzetti marks this opening section piano cupo, which translates to soft and gloomy. Much attention should also be payed to intonation, given that the six opening verses all feature unison singing at the octave, with an abundance of augmented fourths between the chant and the secondary melody.

Sections in which Pizzetti employs imitative writing should be approached as one would approach an imitative sixteenth-century motet. Focus should shift to each point of imitation or entrance (when the subject is introduced in a new voice), and vocal parts with more developmental material should be less prominent. Pizzetti makes interpreting these sections incredibly easy – his dynamic markings indicate when the subject or a particular vocal line should be brought to the forefront and when it is less important. He also indicates phrase shapes for each melodic line (which are still chant-like in concept) using crescendo and decrescendo markings. If one simply observes his articulations and phrase shapes, a performance reminiscent of authentic sixteenth-century polyphonic singing will result.

An important factor when considering vocal quality, aside from the polyphony and chant- like phrases, is the twentieth-century tertian harmony that Pizzetti employs combined with the more modal, archaic harmony. Sections at climaxes or within peaks of phrases tend to become more chromatic, while cadences tend to be dyadic. Both harmonic languages employed require a clarity of vocal line in order to be clearly delivered. Excessive vibrato within a single voice part obscures more chromatic harmony, and makes consonant intervals difficult to tune (particularly

66 the perfect fourths and fifths found at cadences). Intonation and clarity of line will best be achieved by singing senza-vibrato (particularly at dyadic cadences).

Balance is not only an important factor in the polyphonic passages – it is also highly important in the polychoral passages. These occur throughout (for example, rehearsal D and its synonymous passage at rehearsal G), and great care must be taken to ensure the various ‘choirs’ are balanced. Tenor voices and then soprano voices present a melodic passage in parallel fifths

(in canon with each other), while the bass and alto voices interject with sequence paraphrase and accompanying “oh” melodic figures from the opening six verses (see Musical example 2.9).

Similar care must be taken with the transitional passages, which feature imitative writing based on the chant paraphrase, punctuated by fragments of the “oh” melodies from before (see Musical example 2.10). These melodies tend to be syllabic, so one must observe Pizzetti’s dynamic and articulation markings – these instruct how the phrase ought to be shaped and will help avoid a syllabic, monotonous interpretation of these melodies. Pizzetti is also very specific when these syllabic phrases are presented in imitation – he will often articulate one line with tenuto markings, while the partner voice is marked molto legato. The difference in articulation allows for clarity of texture and should be strictly observed, otherwise the beauty of these passages will be lost.

Verses 13-14 should be treated just as the first six verses were – with all sopranos and tenors singing the part written for first soprano and first tenor. This brief recapitulation of the opening material leads into the sparsest section of the movement – only three voice parts singing verse 15, the upper two voices paired and in imitation with the tenor voice. It is not advised to have all voice parts sing here as was done with verses 13-14. This transition is meant to sound sparse and “stanco” (tired) – it is the “low” moment, as reflected in the text. The respite that is

67 achieved in the concluding Pie Jesu section would seem anti-climactic if verse 15 were too full- sounding. This sparse transition blossoms, and is followed by two short imitative transitional passages (all built on the syllabic chant paraphrase) employing all voices and the “oh” interjection – these should be approached as they were in the first half of the movement.

Verse 18 features a sixteenth-century technique that Pizzetti employs throughout his mass setting but is only used once in the Dies irae – falsobordone. The first half of verse 18 is presented in this fashion – homophonic and chant-like, all six voices being used doubling at the octave on a D-A dyad. Emphasis on text-stress is required in this section: the delivery of text should be speech-like. The pitch does not change – as with falsobordone-like textures found throughout sixteenth-century compositions, the desired effect is that of chanting the text on a triad (though in this case only two pitches are used). Pizzetti has marked this section molto più mosso, and this tempi change should not be taken lightly. This propels into the second half of verse 18, which combines the “oh” interjection with the two melodic chant-like figures presented throughout the movement. This final “drive to the cadence” is also typical of sixteenth-century vocal writing, and comes crashing to an abrupt halt before the final verse, which is set to create an antiphonal effect between the choir of soprano/alto and the choir of tenor/bass. After spending a majority of this movement in a tonal center of D-minor, the movement concludes in a soft D major. Great care must be taken with the third, which is rare in this movement and very special indeed.

Sanctus

Sanctus is the movement that will provide the most difficulty in terms of voicing. It is scored for three choirs, and each choir consists of four voices: choir I – SSAA; choir II – TTBB;

68 choir III – TTBB. As the tessitura of the first tenor voice in choir II and choir III is quite high, it would be possible (and advisable) to use some lower alto voices to supplement the tenor voices if balance is an issue. The tessitura of the first soprano might also prove problematic in this movement (especially for younger voices), as it spends most of the time at the top of the staff.

Care must be taken when making voicing decisions as this top soprano part must never dominate or obscure the clarity of the lower eleven voices, and maintaining this tessitura with minimal vibrato is challenging.

The opening imitative repetitions of the Sanctus text are marked chiaro e spazioso – clear and spacious. This plus the mezzo piano dynamic marking indicate a tone quality that is neither too heavy or too loud (particularly in the upper voices), otherwise the imitation in lower-voiced choirs will be buried. The first forte dynamic isn’t marked until measure 11, so the crescendo from the beginning must be gradual and measured.

There is a slight change of tempo in measure 15, though Pizzetti indicates that the Piú mosso should not be too much. The florid imitation of measures 15-25 should not sound too hurried. The composer is incredibly specific with his dynamic markings in this section – each voice part of each choir plays a different role, and these markings should be noted and followed.

Of particular interest are the occasional accents placed at the beginning of imitative entrances

(measures 19, 21, and 23) – he only marks three of these entrances in this fashion. Also note the fortissimo indicated above the first tenors’ E-flat entrance. This precedes the fortissimo for the full choir by four measures, and is the catalyst of the first major cadence in measure 35 (the first

25 measures of Sanctus can be seen in Musical Examples 5.1 and 6.5 respectively).

The Benedictus section that follows the dramatic arrival in measure 35 is marked Piú mosso e leggero (in uno) – lightly, with motion, and in one. Care should be taken that the chosen

69 tempo still allows for clear execution of melismatic figures that make up the Benedictus melody.

Lightness is the key to performing this imitative section, particularly in voices that accompany with dotted-half notes. I would recommend articulating each repeated dotted-half with a slight accent, to help with rhythmic clarity and to keep the long, sustained lines from becoming too weighty. The imitated melody should always be balanced in the voices in which it is presented.

The homophonic repetition of this text features a slight stretch of the tempo, but the Piú mosso e leggero should resume in measure 67.

What follows is a 20-measure climax, beginning pianissimo with only two voices and gradually growing to a 12-voice fortissimo by measure 90. It is crucial that the tempo be maintained throughout this section, that the dynamic level of entering voices adhere to the composer’s markings, and that the crescendo stay metered so as not too arrive at fortissimo until measure 90. Pizzetti is very deliberate with how this climax operates, and failure to observe his specific markings will compromise the integrity of this fantastic moment. It should be noted that the cadence in measure 35 and the final ten measures of this movement are the only times in the entire Messa di Requiem in which Pizzetti employs a fortissimo dynamic.

Agnus Dei

At only 29 measures and set for only four voices, Agnus Dei is by far the shortest and most intimate movement of this Requiem Mass setting. Marked calmo e dolce (calm and sweet), the loudest dynamic marking in this movement is piano. Pizzetti indicates at the beginning

“soltanto una metà del coro,” which means only one half of the choir. With younger voices it is recommended to use the whole choir and adjusting dynamic levels to achieve the desired “half- choir” affect. At least ten measures feature only two voices singing together, which might leave

70 the respective voices feeling relatively exposed – performing with the entire choir would increase stability (particularly for the imitative soprano/tenor duet in measures 15-19, which spans over an octave in both voices and features numerous descending intervals greater than a second).

The opening imitative chant-like melodies in the soprano and alto should be performed with the same principles as the rest of the chant melodies in this work. The exposed nature of this brief duet and the simplicity of the melodies require a clear sustained tone, free of excessive pitch variation and non-legato singing. Clarity of line must be maintained when the tenor and bass voices join the imitative texture, and care must be taken to not exceed the indicated piano dynamic. The soprano and tenor duet of measures 15-19 will require careful negotiation, particularly when the sopranos descend an octave and a fifth from an A-flat above the staff down to the D-flat below the staff.

Following the imitative soprano/tenor duet, the lower three voices engage in an organum- like texture, while the soprano carries a chant-like melody. The F major second-inversion chord that begins this section is difficult and will require care in regards to intonation, particularly because it immediately follows a D-flat major passage. The danger is allowing the third of the F major to sit low, made more difficult by the lack of the root in the bass voice. The same vocal principles that applied to performing the opening of this movement apply here – the simplicity of the melodies should not be interrupted by vibrato, volume, or non-legato singing.

Libera Me

Pizzetti ends his Requiem Mass with the most austere and archaic of his settings. Marked con fervore profondo (with profound fervor), this plea for deliverance is not for the faint of heart.

The opening line of text is delivered in a falsobordone-like fashion, though Pizzetti specifically notates the speech-like patterns. Care must be taken with the opening quintuplet and subsequent triplets and dotted eighth-sixteenths so as to not sound metronomic. The desired result is of non- metered speech – a challenge when Pizzetti is so specific with his prescribed rhythmic values.

The bottom four voices deliver the text in this fashion below the soprano’s chant-like melody.

The desire for an intense and fervor-filled performance should not interfere with the clear tone and legato singing necessary for these chant melodies. The highly modal nature of this movement (Dorian for the opening 12 measures and brimming with open fourths and fifths) and the intonation difficulties it presents make this clear senza-vibrato tone and transparent texture even more crucial.

The first major cadence of this movement is approached via an organum-like texture in the bottom four voices (marked forte beginning in measure 8) and a soprano melody above the staff. This passage climaxes on an A-E dyad, before resolving to a D-A dyad. It is easy to grow overly enthusiastic in this dramatic approach to the climax, but such a challenging cadence requires near-perfect intonation (and excessive vibrato undoubtedly create issues). The opening

13 measures of this movement can be seen in Musical Example 2.22.

The next passage initially moves to D Phrygian, featuring a chant-like melody first in the tenor voice and then the alto voice (see Musical Examples 2.23 and 2.24). Beneath the tenor melody, the bass voice has a half-step undulating figure (D and E-flat). Of particular interest is the tenuto marking that Pizzetti places over every E-flat in this passage, emphasizing the dissonant lowered second and disrupting the consonance of the chant melody and octave interjections on A from the alto and baritone. The alto melody receives similar treatment, though the alto melody, the octave interjection on E and F, and the undulating bass figure (now an A and

B-flat in the baritone) suggest a move to A Phrygian. Tenuto markings on the dissonant lowered second continue in the undulating bass figure. Following this, a reappearance of the organum passage and a seemingly abrupt modulation brings a second dyadic cadence, identical to the cadence in measures 10-12 (all of which necessitate exacting intonation, senza-vibrato).

With the Requiem aeternam text in measure 35 comes a change in mode, style, and texture. The soprano and tenor voices lead with imitative ascending step-wise melodies while the alto and bass voices accompany with sustained half notes. The sopranos and tenors must take care with the lowered seventh in the ascending line. The imitative melody then descends step- wise for the text et lux perpetua. The bass voices are particularly important in this section, as they sustain an open fifth (first on G, and then on A as the passage transitions to D major).

Pizzetti has marked this section as calmo dolce (sweetly calm). Ascending and descending melodies in the tenor and soprano must be molto legato, never growing above a dynamic of piano (Pizzetti even puts an extra piano marking in parentheses as the soprano melody goes above the staff as a gentle reminder).

Following a cadence in D major, the music from the opening of the movement returns, and is musically identical through the final cadence. Pizzetti has marked this più lento che in principio, assai più lento e più piano (translated: slower than in the beginning; much slower and softer). The pianississimo marking makes this clear. The only difference aside from tempo and dynamic from this final passage and the opening passage is the accent placed on the penultimate

A-E dyad. The voices are marked forte four bars before this arrival, with an additional crescendo marking leading up to it (happening on the initial syllable of the word ignem). Instead of ending the work with the peaceful Requiem aeternam text (rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them) as so many composers have, Pizzetti chooses to end with fire:

Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem (When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire).

The forte organum figures, modal melodies, and severe dyadic cadence are meant to unsettle and leave questions unanswered: this is not meant to be an ending filled with warmth and resolution, and performers should not attempt to soften the punitive and ascetic effect of this final passage.

Chapter 8: Conclusion

If all of Pizzetti’s detailed score markings were removed and this work were approached as one would approach a piece of sixteenth-century polyphony, Pizzetti’s neo-Renaissance intentions would be honored and an authentic performance rendered. Clarity of texture, beauty of vocal line, phrase shape and text stress are the key ingredients to interpreting this work, along with appropriate vocal quality and balance. Observing Pizzetti’s numerous and deliberate expressive markings on top of an already informed interpretation of this neo-Renaissance style of composition leads to a performance that is not only historically informed in its realization of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century compositional methods, it communicates the haunting beauty and austere expression of faith that Pizzetti sought to capture with this setting of the Requiem

Mass text.

Ildebrando Pizzetti’s Messa di Requiem contains clear examples of neo-Renaissance style in which dramatic contrast, structural pacing, and archaic sonorities are integrated. His setting draws on the musical forms of Italy’s past and reflects his conservative beliefs about composition, counterpoint, and harmony. The manner in which Pizzetti sets the sacred text reflects conservative principles and aligns it with Pope Pius X’s Tra le sollecitudini in that text repetition is minimal and limited to imitative sections. Text order is also preserved. The techniques of imitation, point-of-imitation, canon, chant quotation, chant paraphrase, chant-like melodies and textures, and modes in Messa di Requiem emulate the prominent characteristics of

Renaissance polyphony and follow the edicts set forth in Tra le sollecitudini (explicated in detail in Chapter 1). In addition to the use of church modes throughout the work, Pizzetti uses vertical sonorities to reflect an archaic vocabulary of consonance and dissonance (e.g. concluding sonorities at cadences are often a unison or perfect fifth). Pizzetti uses canon regularly and with

75 great variety throughout the entirety of the work. Other types of imitative writing also are prevalent in all movements. Polychoral writing and textures are used, along with falsobordone- like textures and passages that resemble organum – all vestiges of Italy’s compositional past.

Through his combined use of extensive contrapuntal techniques, Gregorian chant, text setting, modal and Romantic harmonies, and varied textures, Pizzetti successfully aligns his liturgical setting with the musical principles outlined in Pope Pius X’s Tra le sollecitudini and creates a masterwork that represents a manifestation of his own conservative musical views, of music in the Roman Catholic Church, and of Italian sacred music in the early twentieth century.

76 Appendix I – Texts and Translations29

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine: Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord, et lux perpetua luceat eis. and let perpetual light shine upon them. Te decet hymnus Deus in Zion, A hymn befits thee, O God in Zion. et tibi redetur votum in Jerusalem: And to thee a vow shall be fulfilled in Jerusalem. exaudi orationem meam, Hear my prayer, ad te omnis caro veniet. For unto thee all flesh shall some.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine: Rest eternal grant to them, O lord, et lux perpetua luceat eis. and let perpetual light shine upon them.

Kyrie elesion, Lord have mercy, Christe eleison, Christ have mercy, Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy

Dies irae, dies illa, Day of wrath, that day Solvet saeclum in favilla: shall dissolve the world into embers, Teste David cum Sibylla. as David prophesied with the Sibyl.

Quantus tremor est futurus, How great the trembling will be, Quando judex est venturus, when the Judge shall come, Cuncta stricte discussurus! the rigorous investigator of all things!

Tuba mirum spargens sonum The trumpet, spreading its wondrous sound Per sepulchra regionum, through the tombs of every land, Coget omnes ante thronum. will summon all before the throne.

Mors stupebit, et natura, Death will be stunned, likewise nature, Cum resurget creatura, when all creation shall rise again Judicanti responsura. to answer the One judging.

Liber scriptus proferetur, A written book will be brought forth, In quo totum continetur, in which all shall be contained, Unde mundus judicetur. and from which the world shall be judged.

Judex ergo cum sedebit, When therefore the Judge is seated, Quid-quid latet apparebit: whatever lies hidden shall be revealed, Nil inultum remanebit. no wrong shall remain unpunished.

Quid sum miser tunc dicturus? What then am I, a poor wretch, going to say? Quem patronum rogaturus? Which protector shall I ask for? Cum vix justus sit securus. when even the just are scarcely secure?

Rex tremendae majestatis, King of terrifying majesty,

29 Ron Jeffers, Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire: Vol. 1: Sacred Latin Texts (Corvallis: Earthsongs, 1988).

77 Qui salvandos salvas gratis, who freely saves the saved: Salva me fons pietatis. Save me, fount of pity.

Recordare Jesu pie, Remember, merciful Jesus, Quod sum cause tuae viae, that I am the cause of your sojourn; Ne me perdas illa die. do not cast me out on that day.

Quaerens me, sedisti lassus: Seeking me, you sat down weary; Redemisti crucem passus: having suffered the Cross, you redeemed me. Tantus labor non sit cassus. May such great labor not be in vain.

Juste judex ultionis, Just Judge of vengeance, Donum fac remissionis, grant the gift of remission Ante diem rationis. before the day of reckoning.

Ingemisco, tamquam reus: I groan, like one who is guilty; culpa rubet vultus meus: my face blushes with guilt. Supplicanti parce Deus. Spare thy supplicant, O God.

Qui Mariam absolvisti, You who absolved Mary [Magdalene], Et latronum exaudisti, and heeded the thief, Mihi quoque spem dedisti. have also given hope to me.

Preces meae non sunt dignae: My prayers are not worthy, Set tu bonus fac benigne, but Thou, good one, kindly grant Ne perenni cremer igne. that I not burn in the everlasting fires.

Inter oves locum praesta, Grant me a favored place among thy sheep, Et ab haedis me sequestra, and separate me from the goats, Statuens in parte dextra. placing me at thy right hand.

Confutatis maledictis, When the accursed are confounded, Flammis acribus addictis, consigned to the fierce flames: Voca me cum benedictis. call me to be with the blessed.

Oro supplex et acclinis, I pray, suppliant and kneeling, Cor contritum quasi cinis: my heart contrite as if it were ashes: Gere curam mei finis. protect me in my final hour.

Lacrimosa dies illa, O how tearful that day, Qua resurget ex favilla, On which the guilty shall rise Judicandus homo reus. from the embers to be judged. Huic ergo parce Deus. Spare them then, O god.

Pie Jesu Domine, Merciful Lord Jesus, dona eis requiem. grant them rest.

78 Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Holy, Holy, Holy, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Lord God of Hosts. Pleni sunt caeli et terra Gloria tua. Heaven and earth are full of they glory. Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest.

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the higest.

Agnus Dei, Lamb of God, qui tollis peccata mundi, who takest away the sins of the world, dona eis requiem. grant them rest.

Agnus Dei, Lamb of God, qui tollis peccata mundi, who takest away the sins of the world, dona eis requiem sempiternam. grant them rest everlasting.

Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna, Deliver me, O Lord, from death eternal, in die illa tremenda: on that dreadful day: Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra: when the heavens and the earth shall quake, Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem. when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.

Tremens factus sum ego, et timeo I am seized by trembling, and I fear Dum discussio venerit, until the judgement should come, atque ventura ira. and I also dread the coming wrath.

Dies illa, dies irae, O that day, day of wrath, calamitatis at miseriae, day of calamity and misery, dies magna et amara valde. momentous day, and exceedingly bitter, Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem. when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine: Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, et lux perpetua luceat eis. and let perpetual light shine upon them.

Appendix II: Permissions

Dear Erin, If your dissertation won’t have a commercial exploitation, you can use the excerpts for free, just including this © line in your document:

Messa di Requiem Music by Ildebrando Pizzetti Copyright © 1954 by Casa Ricordi S.r.l. – Milan, Italy All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured Reproduced by kind permission of Hal Leonard Europe S.r.l. – Italy

Best wishes

Andrea Natale Licensing Coordinator

Via Liguria 4 - Fraz. Sesto Ulteriano, 20098 San Giuliano Milanese (MI), Italy t: +39 02 988134668 e: [email protected] www.halleonardeurope.com

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Westerhaus, Timothy. "Ildebrando Pizzetti's Messa di Requiem: Conservatively Neo- Renaissance yet Distinctly Dramatic." The Choral Scholar 4, no. 1 (2014): 3-20.