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Requiem

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For other uses, see Requiem (disambiguation).
Requiem Mass for Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria at the Catholic Church of St. Catherine, Saint Petersburg, 1914.

A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead (Latin: Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead (Latin: Missa defunctorum), is Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular formula of the Roman Missal. It is frequently, but not necessarily, celebrated in the context of a funeral.

Musical settings of the propers of the Requiem Mass are also called Requiems by extension, and the term has subsequently been applied to other musical compositions associated with death and mourning, even though they may lack religious relevance or a liturgical purpose.

The term is used also for similar ceremonies in use outside the Catholic Church, especially in the Anglo-Catholic branch of Anglicanism and in certain Lutheran churches. A comparable service, with a wholly different ritual form and texts, exists in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches.

The Mass, and its settings, draw their common but informal name "Requiem" from the introit of the liturgy, which begins with the words "Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine" – "Grant them eternal rest, O Lord". "Requiem" is an accusative form of the Latin noun requies, "rest, repose)". This is still the first entrance antiphon among the formulas for Masses for the dead given in the Roman Missal as revised in 1970.

The liturgy

In earlier forms of the Roman Rite, some of which are still in use, a Requiem Mass differs in several ways from the usual Mass in that form. Some parts that were of relatively recent origin, including some that have been excluded in the 1970 revision, are omitted. Examples are the psalm Iudica at the start of Mass, the prayer said by the priest before reading the Gospel (or the blessing of the deacon, if a deacon reads it), and the first of the two prayers of the priest for himself before receiving Communion.[1] Other omissions include the use of incense at the Introit and the Gospel, the kiss of peace, lit candles held by acolytes when a deacon chants the Gospel, and blessings. There is no Gloria in excelsis Deo, no recitation of the Creed, the Alleluia chant before the Gospel is replaced by a Tract, as in Lent, the Agnus Dei is altered, and Ite missa est is replaced with Requiescant in pace (May they rest in peace). Black is the obligatory liturgical colour of the vestments in the earlier forms, while the later form allows a choice between black and violet, and in some countries, such as England and Wales, white.[2] The sequence Dies Iræ, recited or sung between the Tract and the Gospel, is an obligatory part of the Requiem Mass in the earlier forms. As its opening words, Dies irae (Day of wrath), indicate, this poetic composition speaks of the Day of Judgment in fearsome terms; it then appeals to Jesus for mercy.

Celebrations of the Requiem Mass were sometimes referred to as "black Masses", from the colour of the vestments worn by the priest. This term has no connection with the Satanist ritual of the same name.

Music

Incipit of the Gregorian chant introit for a Requiem Mass, from the Liber Usualis.

The Requiem Mass is notable for the large number of musical compositions that it has inspired, including the requiems of Mozart, Verdi and Fauré. Originally, such compositions were meant to be performed in liturgical service, with monophonic chant. Eventually the dramatic character of the text began to appeal to composers to an extent that they made the requiem a genre of its own, and the requiems of composers such as Verdi are essentially concert pieces rather than liturgical works.

The following are the texts that are set to music.

Introit

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Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine,
 et lux perpetua luceat eis.
 Te decet hymnus Deus, in Sion,
 et tibi reddetur votum in Ierusalem.
 Exaudi orationem meam;
 ad te omnis caro veniet.
 Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine,
 et lux perpetua luceat eis.

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Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
A hymn becomes you, O God, in Zion,
and to you shall a vow be repaid in Jerusalem.
Hear my prayer;
to you shall all flesh come.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.

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Kyrie eleison

This is as the Kyrie in the Ordinary of the Mass: Template:MultiCol

Kyrie eleison;
 Christe eleison;
 Kyrie eleison

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Lord have mercy;
Christ have mercy;
Lord have mercy.

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This is Greek (Κύριε ἐλέησον, Χριστὲ ἐλέησον, Κύριε ἐλέησον) Traditionally, each utterance is sung three times. Each line represents a different person of the Holy Trinity, and the Trinity squared, or nine lines, represents perfection.[citation needed]

Gradual

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Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine :
 et lux perpetua luceat eis.
 In memoria æterna erit iustus,
 ab auditione mala non timebit.

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Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord :
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
He shall be justified in everlasting memory,
and shall not fear evil reports.

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Tract

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Absolve, Domine,
 animas omnium fidelium defunctorum
 ab omni vinculo delictorum
 et gratia tua illis succurente
 mereantur evadere iudicium ultionis,
 et lucis æternae beatitudine perfrui.

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Forgive, O Lord,
the souls of all the faithful departed
from all the chains of their sins
and by the aid to them of your grace
may they deserve to avoid the judgment of revenge,
and enjoy the blessedness of everlasting light.

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Sequence

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Dies iræ, dies illa
Solvet sæclum in favilla,
teste David cum Sibylla...

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Day of wrath, that day
dissolves the world in ashes,
as foretold by David and the Sibyl ...

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Offertory

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Domine Iesu Christe, Rex gloriæ,
 libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum
 de pœnis inferni et de profundo lacu.
 Libera eas de ore leonis,
 ne absorbeat eas tartarus,
 ne cadant in obscurum;
 sed signifer sanctus Michæl
 repræsentet eas in lucem sanctam,
 quam olim Abrahæ promisisti et semini eius.

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Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory,
free the souls of all the faithful departed
from infernal punishment and the deep pit.
Free them from the mouth of the lion;
do not let Tartarus swallow them,
nor let them fall into darkness;
but may the standard-bearer Saint Michael,
lead them into the holy light
which you once promised to Abraham and his seed.

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Hostias et preces tibi, Domine,
 laudis offerimus;
 tu suscipe pro animabus illis,
 quarum hodie memoriam facimus.
 Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam.
 Quam olim Abrahæ promisisti et semini eius.

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O Lord, we offer You
sacrifices and prayers of praise;
accept them on behalf of those souls
whom we remember today.
Let them, O Lord, pass over from death to life,
as you once promised to Abraham and his seed.

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Sanctus

This is as the Sanctus prayer in the Ordinary of the Mass: Template:MultiCol

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
 Dominus Deus Sabaoth;
 pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis. (reprise)

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Holy, Holy, Holy,
Lord God of Hosts;
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. (reprise)

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Agnus Dei

This is as the Agnus Dei in the Ordinary of the Mass, but with the petitions miserere nobis changed to dona eis requiem, and dona nobis pacem to dona eis requiem sempiternam: Template:MultiCol

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem,
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem,
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem sempiternam.

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Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, grant them rest,
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, grant them rest,
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, grant them eternal rest.

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Communion

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Lux æterna luceat eis, Domine,
 cum sanctis tuis in æternum,
 quia pius es.
 Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine;
 et lux perpetua luceat eis ;
 cum Sanctis tuis in æternum,
 quia pius es.

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May everlasting light shine upon them, O Lord,
with your Saints forever,
for you are kind.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,
and may everlasting light shine upon them.
with your Saints forever,
for you are merciful.

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As mentioned above, there is no Gloria, Alleluia or Credo in these musical settings.

Pie Iesu

Main article: Pie Jesu

Some extracts too have been set independently to music, such as Pie Iesu in the settings of Dvořák, Fauré, and Duruflé.

The Pie Iesu consists of the final words of the Dies Irae followed by the final words of the Agnus Dei.

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Pie Iesu Domine, dona eis requiem.
 Dona eis requiem sempiternam.

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O sweet Lord Jesus, grant them rest;
grant them everlasting rest.

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Musical Requiems sometimes include passages from the "Absolution at the bier" (Absolutio ad feretrum) or "Commendation of the dead person" (referred to also as the Absolution of the dead), which in the case of a funeral, follows the conclusion of the Mass.

Libera Me

Main article: Libera Me

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Libera me, Domine, de morte æterna, in die illa tremenda:
 Quando cæli movendi sunt et terra.
 Dum veneris iudicare sæculum per ignem.
 Tremens factus sum ego, et timeo, dum discussio venerit, atque ventura ira.
 Quando cæli movendi sunt et terra.
 Dies illa, dies iræ, calamitatis et miseriæ, dies magna et amara valde.
 Dum veneris iudicare sæculum per ignem.
 Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis.

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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.
I am made to tremble, and I fear, till the judgment be upon us, and the coming wrath,
when the heavens and the earth shall be moved.
That day, day of wrath, calamity, and misery, day of great and exceeding bitterness,
when thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.
Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord: and let light perpetual shine upon them.

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In paradisum

Main article: In paradisum

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In paradisum deducant te Angeli:
 in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres,
 et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem.
 Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat,
 et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.

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May Angels lead you into paradise;
may the Martyrs receive you at your coming
and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem.
May a choir of Angels receive you,
and with Lazarus, who once was poor, may you have eternal rest.

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History of musical compositions

For many centuries the texts of the requiem were sung to Gregorian melodies. The Requiem by Johannes Ockeghem, written sometime in the latter half of the 15th century, is the earliest surviving polyphonic setting. There was a setting by the elder composer Dufay, possibly earlier, which is now lost: Ockeghem's may have been modelled on it.[3] Many early requiems employ different texts that were in use in different liturgies around Europe before the Council of Trent set down the texts given above. The requiem of Brumel, circa 1500, is the first to include the Dies Iræ. In the early polyphonic settings of the Requiem, there is considerable textural contrast within the compositions themselves: simple chordal or fauxbourdon-like passages are contrasted with other sections of contrapuntal complexity, such as in the Offertory of Ockeghem's Requiem.[3]

In the 16th century, more and more composers set the Requiem mass. In contrast to practice in setting the Mass Ordinary, many of these settings used a cantus-firmus technique, something which had become quite archaic by mid-century. In addition, these settings used less textural contrast than the early settings by Ockeghem and Brumel, although the vocal scoring was often richer, for example in the six-voice Requiem by Jean Richafort which he wrote for the death of Josquin des Prez.[3] Other composers who wrote Requiems before 1550 include Pedro de Escobar, Antoine de Févin, Cristóbal Morales, and Pierre de La Rue; that by La Rue is probably the second oldest, after Ockeghem's.

Over 2,000 requiems have been composed to the present day. Typically the Renaissance settings, especially those not written on the Iberian Peninsula, may be performed a cappella (i.e. without necessary accompanying instrumental parts), whereas beginning around 1600 composers more often preferred to use instruments to accompany a choir, and also include vocal soloists. There is great variation between compositions in how much of liturgical text is set to music.

Most composers omit sections of the liturgical prescription, most frequently the Gradual and the Tract. Fauré omits the Dies iræ, while the very same text had often been set by French composers in previous centuries as a stand-alone work.

Sometimes composers divide an item of the liturgical text into two or more movements; because of the length of its text, the Dies iræ is the most frequently divided section of the text (as with Mozart, for instance). The Introit and Kyrie, being immediately adjacent in the actual Roman Catholic liturgy, are often composed as one movement.

Musico-thematic relationships among movements of Requiems can be found as well.

Concert requiems

Beginning in the 18th century and continuing through the 19th, many composers wrote what are effectively concert requiems, which by virtue of employing forces too large, or lasting such a considerable duration, prevent them being readily used in an ordinary funeral service; the requiems of Gossec, Berlioz, Verdi, and Dvořák are essentially dramatic concert oratorios. A counter-reaction to this tendency came from the Cecilian movement, which recommended restrained accompaniment for liturgical music, and frowned upon the use of operatic vocal soloists.

Non-Roman Catholic requiems

Requiem is also used to describe any sacred composition that sets to music religious texts which would be appropriate at a funeral, or to describe such compositions for liturgies other than the Roman Catholic Mass. Among the earliest examples of this type are the German requiems composed in the 17th century by Heinrich Schütz and Michael Praetorius, whose works are Lutheran adaptations of the Roman Catholic requiem, and which provided inspiration for the mighty German Requiem by Brahms.[4]

Such requiems include:

Eastern Orthodox Requiem

Main article: Memorial service (Orthodox)

In the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches, the requiem is the fullest form of memorial service (Greek: Parastas, Slavonic: Panikhida). The normal memorial service is a greatly abbreviated form of Matins, but the Requiem contains all of the psalms, readings, and hymns normally found in the All-Night Vigil (which combines the Canonical Hours of Vespers, Matins and First Hour), providing a complete set of propers for the departed. The full requiem will last around three and a half hours. In this format it more clearly represents the original concept of parastas, which means literally, "standing throughout (the night)." Often, there will be a Divine Liturgy celebrated the next morning with further propers for the departed.

Because of their great length, full requiems are rarely served. However, at least in the Russian liturgical tradition, a Requiem will often be served on the eve before the Glorification (canonization) of a saint, in a special service known as the "Last Panikhida."

Anglican burial service

The Anglican Book of Common Prayer contains seven texts which are collectively known as "funeral sentences"; several composers have written settings of these seven texts, which are generally known collectively as a "burial service." Composers who have set the Anglican burial service to music include William Croft, Thomas Morley, Orlando Gibbons, and Henry Purcell. The text of these seven sentences, from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, is:

  • I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
  • I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.
  • We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord.
  • Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh up, and is cut down, like a flower; he fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay.
  • In the midst of life we are in death: of whom may we seek for succour, but of thee, O Lord, who for our sins art justly displeased? Yet, O Lord God most holy, O Lord most mighty, O holy and most merciful Saviour, deliver us not into the bitter pains of eternal death.
  • Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not thy merciful ears to our prayer; but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O holy and merciful Saviour, thou most worthy judge eternal, suffer us not, at our last hour, for any pains of death, to fall from thee.
  • I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, From henceforth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: even so saith the Spirit: for they rest from their labours.

20th and 21st century treatments

In the 20th century the requiem evolved in several new directions. The genre of war requiems is perhaps the most notable, which comprise of compositions dedicated to the memory of people killed in wartime. These often include extra-liturgical poems of a pacifist or non-liturgical nature; for example, the War Requiem of Benjamin Britten juxtaposes the Latin text with the poetry of Wilfred Owen, Krzysztof Penderecki's Polish Requiem includes a traditional Polish hymn within the sequence, and Robert Steadman's Mass in Black intersperses environmental poetry and prophecies of Nostradamus. Holocaust requiems may be regarded as a specific subset of this type. The World Requiem of John Foulds was written in the aftermath of the First World War and initiated the Royal British Legion's annual festival of remembrance. Recent requiem works by Taiwanese composers Tyzen Hsiao and Fan-Long Ko follow in this tradition, honouring victims of the 2-28 Incident and subsequent White Terror. Another recent requiem composed by Hong Kong composer Man-Ching Donald Yu, commemorating the victims of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake.

Lastly, the 20th century saw the development of secular requiems, written for public performance without specific religious observance (e.g., Kabalevsky's War Requiem, to poems by Robert Rozhdestvensky). Herbert Howells's unaccompanied Requiem uses Psalm 23 ("The Lord is my shepherd"), Psalm 121 ("I will lift up mine eyes"), "Salvator mundi" ("O Saviour of the world," in English), "Requiem aeternam" (two different settings), and "I heard a voice from heaven." Some composers have written purely instrumental works bearing the title of requiem, as famously exemplified by Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem. Hans Werner Henze's Das Floß der Medusa, written in 1968 as a requiem for Che Guevara, is properly speaking an oratorio; Henze's Requiem is instrumental but retains the traditional Latin titles for the movements. Igor Stravinsky's Requiem canticles mixes instrumental movements with segments of the "Introit," "Dies irae," "Pie Jesu," and "Libera me."

One of the most recent compositions referencing a Requiem is the piece Lux Aeterna (commonly known under the name Requiem for a Dream), written by Clint Mansell. It was composed by Mansell for Darren Aronofsky's 2000 film Requiem for a Dream, which depicts the downfall of four characters because of addiction. The song can be literally interpreted as a requiem for the characters' dead hopes and dreams.

In 2008 bassist-composer Lisle Ellis released Sucker Punch: Requiem, a jazz requiem for graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Notable Requiems

A portion of the manuscript of Mozart's Requiem, K 626. (1791), showing his heading for the first movement.

Many composers have written Requiems. Some of the most notable include the following (in chronological order):

See also: Category:Requiems

Other Requiem composers

Renaissance

Baroque

Classical period

Romantic era

20th century

21st century

Requiems by language (other than Latin)

English with Latin

German

French, Greek, with Latin

French, English, German with Latin

Polish with Latin

Russian

Taiwanese

Nonlinguistic

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Missale Romanum, Ritus servandus in celebratione Missae, XIII
  2. ^ General Instruction of the Roman Missal, with adaptations for England and Wales, 346
  3. ^ a b c Fabrice Fitch: "Requiem (2)", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed January 21, 2007)
  4. ^ A rather exhaustive list of requiem composers can be found on Requiemsurvey.org
  5. ^ p. 8, Kinder (2000) Keith William. Westport, Connecticut. The Wind and Wind-Chorus Music of Anton Bruckner Greenwood Press
  6. ^ ALM Records ALCD-76 Silenziosa Luna
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
  • Alphabetical Requiems Survey
  • Online Guide to Requiem
  • Writing – The Requiem Mass : A Literal Translation
  • Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Masses of Requiem" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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