Comparison of 2 Requiem Masses
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The requiem mass is a curious case of a text that has been given hundreds of different musical settings in many different forms -- from plainsong to polyphonic to orchestral -- and styles. The words of the traditional Latin form of the mass are, in themselves, very moving. But the choices composers have made over the centuries have contributed enormously to the emotional and spiritual impact of the text. Each composer who addressed the problem of setting this text had his own motivations and produced a work that bore his individual stamp. A comparison of two requiems, those by Giuseppe Verdi and Gabriel FaurT, demonstrates how the same subject and the same words can be given radically different interpretations by two fine composers. Curiously, in a religious form, neither man was a believer. Yet their Requiems possess the same or even greater spiritual intensity as those of composers who were faithful members of the Church. Since the debuts of these two works listeners have pondered the chemistry of text, personal feeling and musical inspiration that produced the grandeur of public mourning in Verdi's work and the poignant hopefulness of private grief found in FaurT's mass. The Mass for the Dead or, in its Latin title, the Missa pro defunctis has traditionally been given the name Requiem from the first word of the introit, "Requiem aeterna dona eis, Domine" or "Give them eternal rest, O Lord" (Pruett, p. 751). In the Roman Catholic liturgy there are numerous texts f
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is promised in the closing notes of the mass.
The next section was the Kyrie, a brief plea for mercy that was delivered without dramatic intensification in plainsong and polyphonic versions, though it was delivered with great "dramatic fervour" in later orchestral settings (Robertson, p. 13). The term Gradual has long been used to refer to the psalm fragment which is given in rudimentary responsorial form following the reading of the Epistle. The singer is the focus of attention at this point as there is no ceremonial action taking place (Robertson, p. 14). The psalm is a repetition of the words of the Introit with the addition of the promise that the just man will be remembered forever and never need fear evil. Robertson notes that various versions of the Gradual incorporated different texts which "express very different sentiments" and the fact that the melodic formulas also varied "underlines the fact that it is the word that determines the expression" (p. 14).
The next section, the Tract, is chanted straight through -- hence its name. The text is in psalm form but is not derived from the Bible. In it the emphasis is on the escape of the just from "avenging judgment" ("judicium ultionis") and the eternal bliss that w
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Agnus Dei, Verdi's Introit, Sequence Sequence, Verdi's Requiem, Fiske Inwood, Council Trent, Verdi FaurT, Deliver Robertson, Souls' Day, Verdi's Sanctus, dies irae, requiem mass, eternal rest, mass dead, plainsong polyphonic, pruett 751, musical settings, settings requiem, inappropriate church setting, expansion sequence, london macmillan, dictionary music musicians, dies irae faurt, sanctus agnus dei, music musicians vol,
Approximate Word count = 3585
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page)
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