Requiem (Berlioz)

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Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869) composed his Requiem Op. 5 (Grande Messe des Morts) in 1837. The Grande Messe des Morts is one of Berlioz's best-known works, known for its tremendous orchestration of woodwind and brass instruments, including four antiphonal brass ensembles to be placed at the corners of the concert stage. The work lasts approximately ninety minutes and derives its text from the traditional Latin Requiem Mass.

Contents

1 Background and premiere
2 Structure

2.1 Orchestration
2.2 List of movements

3 Description of the movements
4 Notes
5 Reference
6 External links

Background and premiere

Adrien de Gasparin, the Minister of the Interior of France, asked Berlioz, in 1837, to compose a requiem mass to memorialize soldiers in the Revolution of July 1830. Berlioz gladly accepted the request, having already wanted to compose a large orchestral work. The orchestra was growing in size and quality, and the use of woodwinds and brass was expanding due to the increasing ease of intonation afforded by modern instruments.

Berlioz dedicated his requiem mass to Gasparin. Berlioz once wrote "If I were threatened with the destruction of the whole of my works save one, I should crave mercy for the Messe des morts.".http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~jclee/music/requiem_general.html

The premiere was conducted by François-Antoine Habeneck in 1837. According to Berlioz himself, Habeneck decided to put down his baton during the Tuba mirum, although he was supposed to guide the orchestra through a critical part. Berlioz rushed to the podium to conduct himself, saving the performance from disaster. The premiere was a complete success. http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~jclee/music/requiem_back.html

Structure

Orchestration

The Requiem is scored for

20 woodwinds: 4 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 English horns, 4 clarinets in A, 8 bassoons
12 horns: 3 in E, 3 in D, 3 in A (alto horn), 3 in C
4 brass choirs
*Choir 1: 4 cornets in A, 4 trombones, 2 tubas
*Choir 2: 4 trumpets in E, 4 trombones
*Choir 3: 4 trumpets in D, 4 trombones
*Choir 4: 4 trumpets in C, 4 trombones, 4 tubas
a huge battery of percussionists
*16 timpani (10 timpanists)
*2 bass drums
*4 tam-tams
*10 pairs of cymbals
more than a hundred strings
*25 First violins
*25 Second violins
*20 violas
*20 violoncellos
*18 double basses
Chorus
*80 sopranos
*60 tenors
*70 basses
Tenor soloist

In relation to the number of singers and strings, Berlioz writes in the score that "these numbers are only relative and if possible, should the location permit it, double or triple all the voice parts, and augment the instrumental count as well in the same proportion."

The work premiered with over four hundred performers.

List of movements

There are ten movements to this Requiem, listed below.

Requiem et Kyrie
Dies irae - Tuba mirum
Quid sum miser
Rex tremendae
Quaerens me
Lacrymosa
Offertorium
Hostias
Sanctus
Agnus Dei

Interestingly, the total number of measures of the first five movements is 603; it is also the number of measures of the last four. The first and last movements both are in 3/4 time signature. The sixth movement, Lacrymosa, is in 9/8 time signature, and has 201 measures, a third of 603. The proportioned properties, intended or not, provide a state of equilibrium and stability.

Description of the movements

The Requiem opens gravely with rising scales in the strings, horns, oboes, and cor anglais preceding the choral entry. Later, the music becomes extremely agitated with despair. The Dies irae - Tuba mirum portrays Judgement Day. The four brass ensembles at the corners of the stage first appear in this movement, one by one; they are joined by sixteen timpani, two bass drums and four tam-tams. The loud flourish is followed by the choral entry. There is a powerful unison statement by the basses, followed by the choir. Woodwinds and strings end the movement.

The third movement, Quid sum miser, is short, depicting after Judgement Day. It features an interesting orchestration of TTB chorus, two English horns, eight bassoons, violoncelli, and doublebasses. The Rex tremendae contains contrasting opposites. The choir sings both beseechingly, as if for help, and majestically. Quarens me is a quiet, soft movement which is completely a cappella.

The sixth movement, Lacrymosa, is in 9/8 time signature, and is considered the center of the entire Requiem. It is the only movement written in recognizable sonata form and the last movement depicting pain. The dramatic effect of this movement is heightened by the addition of the massed brass and percussion.

Offertorium is based on a repeated three-note motif: A, B-flat, and A. The choral statements of this motive interweave with the orchestral melodies. The "A, B-flat, A" motif persists for about ten minutes almost to the end, which concludes peacefully. Robert Schumann was very interested in the innovativeness of this movement. Following is a short eighth movement scored for the male voices, eight trombones, three flutes, and strings.

A solo male tenor voice is featured in the ninth movement (Sanctus). There are long, held notes, played by the flute. Women's voices also sing, perhaps answering the tenor. Later, the low strings and cymbals join in. A full orchestral fugue ends the movement. In his original version, Berlioz requested ten tenors for the solo part. The final movement, Agnus Dei, features long, held chords by the woodwinds and strings. The movement recapitulates melodies and effects from previous movements.

Notes

Reference

Steinberg, Michael. "Hector Berlioz: Requiem." Choral Masterworks: A Listener's Guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, 61-67.

External links

[Overview of the Requiem including history, a description of the movements, and the complete text]

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