The most famous parts of Mozart's Requiem. Mozart's Requiem

Requiem (Mozart)

First page of the score. In the upper right corner is Mozart's inscription "1792" - the estimated date of completion of the Requiem

Composition of the orchestra and choir

Vocal parts are represented by soprano, alto, tenor and bass, as well as a four-voice choir.

Text of "Requiem" with translation

1. INTROITUS

Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion,
Et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem;
Exaudi orationem meam,
Ad te omnis caro veniet.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
Et lux perpetua luceat eis.

(translation)

And let eternal light shine upon them.
A hymn is sung to you, O God, in Zion,
And prayers are offered to You in Jerusalem.
Hear my prayer
All flesh returns to You.

Grant them eternal peace, Lord,
And let eternal light shine upon them.

2. KYRIE
Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison,
Kyrie eleison.

(translation)
Lord have mercy. Christ, have mercy;
Lord have mercy.

3.SEQUENTIA
Dies irae
Dies irae, dies illa
Solvet saeclum in favilla,
Teste David cum Sibylla.

Quantus tremor est futurus,
Quando judex est venturus,
Cuncta stricte discussurus.

(translation)
Day of wrath, that day
Will turn the world to dust
According to the testimony of David and the Sibyl.

How great awe will come,
When the Judge comes,
Who will judge everything strictly.

4. Tuba mirum
Tuba mirum spargens sonum
Per sepulcra regionum,
Coget omnes ante thronum.

Mors stupebit et natura,
Cum resurget creatura,
Judicanti responsura.

Liber scriptus proferetur,
In quo totum continetur,
Unde mundus judicetur.

Judex ergo cum sedebit,
Quidquid latet apparebit,
Nil inultum remanebit.

Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?
quem patronum rogaturus,
cum vix justus sit securus?

(translation)
Trumpets an amazing sound will sweep through
Over the cemetery countries,
Calling everyone to the throne.

Death and nature will freeze,
When creation is resurrected to
Give the judge an answer.

The book will open
Containing everything
By what will the world be judged?

And so, when the Judge sits,
All secrets will become clear,
Nothing will go unpunished.

What then, unfortunate one, will I say?
Whom will I call as defenders?
if even the righteous are barely safe?

5. Rex tremendae
Rex tremendae majestatis,
Qui salvandos salvas gratis,
Salva me, fons pietatis.

(translation)
King of terrifying majesty,
He who graciously saves those who seek salvation,
Save me, source of mercy.

6.Recordare
Recordare, Jesu pie,
Quod sum causa tuae viae,
Ne me perdas illa die.

Quaerens me sedisti lassus,
Redemisti crucem passus;
Tantus labor non sit cassus.

Juste judex ultionis,
Donum fac remissionis
Ante diem rationis.

Ingemisco tanquam reus,
Culpa rubet vultus meus;
Supplicanti parce, Deus.

Qui Mariam absolvisti,
Et latronem exaudisti,
Mihi quoque spem dedisti.

Preces meae non sum dignae,
Sed tu, bonus, fac benigne,
Ne perenni cremer igne.

Inter oves locum praesta,
Et ab haedis me sequestra,
Statuens in parte dextra.

(translation)
Remember, merciful Jesus,
That I was the reason for Your path,
Do not destroy me on that day.

Me, sitting in despondency,
He redeemed himself by suffering on the cross;
May the sacrifice not be fruitless.

Righteous Judge of Vengeance,
Grant forgiveness
Before the Day of Judgment

Guilty, I cry out with a groan,
With a face burning with shame;
Have mercy on the one who pleads, O God.

The acquitter of Maria
And he who heard the robber,
Give me hope too.

My prayers are unworthy
But You, O Good One, do mercy,
Don't let me burn forever.

Give me a place among the lambs,
And separate me from the goats,
Placed on the right side.

7. Confutatis
Confutatis maledictis,
Flammis acribus addictis,
Voca me cum benedictis.

Oro supplex et acclinis,
Cor contritum quasi cinis,
Gere curam mei finis.

(translation)
Having put to shame the wicked,
Consigning them to hellish flames,
Call me with the blessed.

I pray, humble and bowed,
A heart worn away like ashes.
Take care of my demise.

8. Lacrimosa
Lacrimosa dies illa,
Qua resurget ex favilla
Judicandus homo reus.

Huic ergo parce, Deus,
Pie Jesu Domine,
Dona eis requiem. Amen.

(translation)
That day was full of tears
When he rises from the dust
To be judged, man.

So have mercy on him, God
Dear Lord Jesus,
Give them peace. Amen.

9. OFFERTORIUM
Domine Jesu Christe
Domine Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae,
Libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum
De poenis inferni et de profundo lacu.
Libera eas de ore leonis,
Ne absorbeat eas tartarus,
Ne cadant in obscurum:
Sed signifer sanctus Michael
Repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam,

Et semini ejus.

(translation)
Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory,
Free the souls of all the faithful departed
From the torments of hell and the bottomless lake.
Free them from the lion's mouth,
So that tartar does not consume them,
And they did not disappear in the darkness:
But the leader is Saint Michael
May he lead them into the sacred light,
Which You once promised to Abraham
And to his descendants.

10. Hostias
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 Abrahae promisisti,
Et semini ejus.

(translation)
Sacrifice and prayers to You, Lord,
We offer you praise.
Accept them for the sake of the souls of those
Whom we remember today:
Let them, Lord,
Move from death to life,
Which You once promised to Abraham
And to his descendants.

11. SANCTUS
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
Dominus Deus Sabaoth!
Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.

(translation)
Holy, Holy, Holy,
Lord God of Hosts!
The heavens and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.

12. BENEDICTUS
Benedictus, qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis.

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

13. AGNUS DEI

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

(translation)

Give them peace.
Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world.
Grant them eternal peace.

14. COMMUNIO
Lux aeterna
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine,
Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
Et lux perpetua luceat eis.

(translation)
Let them shine eternal light, God,
With Your saints forever, for You are abundant in mercy.
Grant them eternal peace, Lord,
And let eternal light shine upon them.

see also

Notes

Links

• Mozart's Requiem - on the Mariinsky Theater website
• Mozart and Salieri. Mario Corti - transcript of the radio program “Culture” (Radio Liberty)

Notes

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Geistliche Gesangswerke. Requiem, Mozarts Fragment Notation of Mozart's fragments of the Requiem with critical commentary (in German) on the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe website, reproduced from the 1965 edition of the Internationale Stiftung Mozart
• Requiem, K.626 Free files sheet music on the International Music Score Library Project
• Requiem, KV 626 Free sheet music files on the ChoralWiki project

Cast: soprano, alto, tenor, bass, choir, orchestra.

History of creation

In July 1791, Mozart, an all-European renowned musician, member of the Bologna Academy and holder of the Order of the Golden Spur, author of numerous symphonies, the operas “The Marriage of Figaro” and “Don Giovanni”, worked hard on “ Magic flute" He felt very bad: he was tormented by incomprehensible pain and weakness.

One evening he was visited by a stranger dressed all in black. He ordered a Requiem - a funeral mass. The customer left the fee and deadline for completing the order at the discretion of the composer, offered a good deposit, but did not disclose his name. Mozart agreed: exhausted by constant lack of money, extremely impractical in everyday matters, he could not refuse. Work began immediately. But the composer could not get rid of the thought that he was writing the funeral mass for himself. His letter has been preserved, in which his painful state is reflected with tragic force: “There is chaos in my head, I can only hardly gather my thoughts. The image of the stranger does not want to disappear from my eyes. I see him continuously. He asks, he insists and demands work from me. I continue to write, because composing music tires me less than doing nothing. I have nothing to fear anymore. I feel - my condition tells me this - my hour has struck. I must die. I feel this with such confidence that I don't need proof. I stop enjoying my talent. And how wonderful life was! Its beginning promised magnificent prospects. But no one can change what is destined by fate. We must obediently bow to the will of Providence. So I end my dirge. I have no right to leave it unfinished. Vienna, September 7, 1791."

The unknown illness was getting worse every day. Despite this, Mozart worked extremely hard. The Magic Flute was completed and premiered on September 30. After this, Mozart also composed the Little Masonic Cantata, which he himself conducted in mid-November. The suffering became more and more intense. When the composer's strength completely left him, he dictated to his student Franz Süssmayer, who lived in his house. Lacrimosa was written in early December. On the evening of December 4, friends gathered at the patient’s bedside sang it. Mozart performed the viola part, but burst into tears and could not continue. The next day he was gone. The last number he wrote was Hostias. The remaining numbers of the Requiem, Sanctus (Holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts), Benedictus (Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord) and Agnus Dei (Lamb of God, who bears all the sins of the world, may You grant them rest), were added by Süssmayer. The conclusion returns, with a different text, to the Mozartian music of the first movement.

“Death overtook him while working on the Requiem,” recalled Süssmayer. - So the finishing of his work was entrusted to many masters. Some of them, overloaded with work, could not devote themselves to this work. Others were afraid to compromise their talent by comparison with Mozart’s genius. In the end, the matter came to me, because it was known that even during Mozart’s life I often played or sang numbers composed with him. He discussed the development of this work with me very often and informed me of the entire process of work and the basics of instrumentation. I can only dream that experts will at least somewhere find traces of his incomparable teachings, then my work will be a success to some extent.”

A few years later, the name of the mysterious customer became known: it was a certain Count Walseg, an amateur music lover who used to buy other people's works and pass them off as his own. He needed the requiem to honor the memory of his late wife, and in early XIX century, when a message about the upcoming publication of the Requiem appeared in the press, he demanded “compensation for damages” from Mozart’s widow!

The requiem is written on the canonical Latin text of the funeral mass, beginning with the words “Requiem aeternam” - “Eternal rest” and arranged in verses in the poem by Thomas of Celan (c. 1190-c. 1260) “Dies irae” (Day of Wrath, in Maykov’s equirhythmic translation Day of Retribution ). Presumably, the author of the poem was inspired by lines from the funeral mass, which are a refraction of a passage from the book of the biblical prophet Zephaniah (Zephaniah 1, 14-16). The Requiem consists of 12 parts, their content is a plea for the granting of peace, salvation of the soul and pictures of the Last Judgment:

№1

May the quiet light shine upon them in peace!
In Zion we glorify You with song!
Jerusalem shines with your glory!
Hear, Lord, our prayer!
Our affirmation is in You!
Give them eternal peace, Lord!
May a quiet light shine upon them in peace!
Lord, Giver of blessings!
God, Giver of blessings!
Lord, righteous!
Lord, Giver of blessings!

№2
Day of Vengeance! He will come!
And unexpectedly, when it comes,
Everyone will rise from their beds in fear!
All peoples, all languages,
Everyone will know the great day
The call of the Lord is in the trumpet voice!

№3
Voice of the Lord! Over the seas
Voice of the Lord! over the seas, over the lands,
It will sweep over the coffins like thunder.
And unexpectedly, among the living,
Generations in the grave of beings,
They will stand in a row for the Judgment of those coming.
And this book is opened by Him
And nothing is hidden in it,
What is punishment for us, what is protection.
Everyone will join the throne
Where He sits, inaccessible
The judge is incorruptible to us.
And he will ask you too,
What are you going to say? God! God!
Who will help me, who?

№4
King of Heaven! I surrender
Before You! pouring out
All in tears!

№5
You are the Savior, the King of Heaven,
You are the great torment of the godmother
Redeemed us wonderfully!
You have called everyone to eternal life
Us with endless love,
Hear, hear the cry of the heart!
You showed us the way,
You were beaten, you were tied up
And scolded and tortured.
For the enemy who was furious,
Like a madman, he mocked
Over You, You prayed.
Forgave everyone, for they remain
In blindness they don’t know
What they do, what they do.
You gave us hope
What will repentance wash away?
The heart is stained with crime.
Merciful, I submit,
Before You, I pour myself out
I'm in tears, I repent, I repent.

№6
Ah, from the host of the condemned,
Eternal death of the doomed,
Grant me to stand in the host of the saved!
Grant me to stand before You,
Merciful Judge,
Pure in heart and soul.

№7
In this sorrow, O Master,
On the great day ahead,
To man and the universe
Be an unchanging intercessor,
Son of God, be a holy shield for us!
Give peace to those sleeping in the tomb!

№8
Lord Son of God!
Giver of blessings, giver of blessings!
Destroy the souls of all Your faithful servants
And all those who died from flour,
From eternal torment and from final death.
Deliver them from the jaws of the lion,
From the pernicious torment of hell
From the darkness of the underworld.
May an angel lift you under his wing
By Thy commandment they are brought into the kingdom of light!
Bo You gave consolation to Abraham from ancient times!

№9
With sacrifice and praise to You, Lord! today we come running;
And we pray for the souls of Your servants,
We pray that You create for them an eternal memory.
Grant them, Lord, to enter from death into the life of the century.
For Abraham you gave consolation from ancient times.

№10
Holy! Holy is the Lord God of hosts!
The heavens proclaim the glory of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!

№11
Glory, glory to him who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!

№12
Lamb of God who took away all the sins of the world,
Grant them eternal peace and bliss!
May a quiet light shine on them forever, Lord!
Let it shine together with the saints, for this is good.

Translation by A. Maykov

Music

Mozart's Requiem is one of the greatest creations of human genius, an inspired hymn to the Lord. Its depth and seriousness, drama and sublimity, touching and brightness cannot leave anyone indifferent.

No. 1, the opening prayer Requiem aeternam (Thou didst bestow upon them eternal rest... - hereinafter the translation is given not according to Maykov’s version, but according to an unnamed, less bright literary, but closer to the canonical Latin text and corresponding music) is imbued with deep sadness. The solo soprano intones the melody of the ancient chorale “The Lord will glorify you in Zion.” The central section of the first movement is Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy) - a swift double fugue, captivating with its flow. The traditional sequence Dies irae (Day of Wrath), divided by the composer into six separate parts, was not completed. Only fragments of the fiery picture of the Last Judgment remained written out (No. 2, The Day will appear in wrathful force), alternating performances of soloists (No. 3, Tuba mirum - The trumpet will sound for us), choral prayers addressed to the stern punishing God (No. 4, Rex tremendae - King of the trembling creation), a bright quartet of soloists (No. 5, Recordare - Oh, remember, Jesus, for me You are your difficult path) and, finally, full of mystical expectations No. 6, Confutatis (Judgment pronounced to the disgraced), where gloomy exclamations male choir tremulous female voices answer. No. 7 - the famous Lacrimosa (This day of tears will come), all permeated with the intonation of a sorrowful sigh, is the lyrical center of the Requiem. Full of dramatic appeals and heartfelt supplication, ending with Fugue No. 8 - Domine Jesu (Lord God Christ, King of Glory). In No. 9, Hostias (Victims, prayers to Thee, O Lord), the noble melody, full of inner drama, is replaced by the returning fugue from No. 8.

Even people who are not very well versed in music know who Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is and, at least faintly, have heard mysterious story that the composer allegedly wrote the famous “Requiem” for his own funeral.

It's really, last piece the great Mozart, it completes him creative path. And perhaps that is why a certain aura of mystery arose around him, shrouding the very history of the creation of the funeral mass. But nothing attracts the attention of the general public like secrets...

Legends

In July 1791, the last time in the composer’s life, a mysterious person in a gray cloak, who wished to remain anonymous. The guest ordered a requiem for Mozart, paid a substantial deposit, and left the deadline for the execution of the order at the discretion of the author. From that very moment, the composer’s health began to deteriorate sharply, and the strange customer allegedly regularly appeared to Mozart in visions literally until his death: “My Black Man haunts me day and night.” Beautiful legend that a mysterious stranger ordered Mozart a funeral mass for himself, and Mozart knew about it, quickly became popular. By the way, its distribution was largely influenced by Mozart’s wife, Constanze, who claimed that Wolfgang, before his death, somehow mentioned that he was writing the Requiem for himself.

The mysterious death of the composer, the visit of a mysterious customer, the dark charm of the Requiem itself and the fact that it is essentially music written for a funeral service gave rise to another strange belief. It states that one should not listen to the Requiem too often, otherwise the listener will suffer an untimely death. It most likely arose much later and, of course, has no basis. But with the “black man” everything is a little more complicated. He actually existed!

Facts and only facts

So what really happened? Did some envoy from the other world come to Mozart with knowledge about the timing of life and death? Or was it the insidious poisoner Salieri, having completed his dirty deed, who also decided to exert a psychological influence on the sick composer?

Everything is much simpler. The “man in black” who appeared to Mozart in his nightmares was the manager of Count Franz von Walsegg. Even the name of the “mysterious messenger” is known - Leutgeb. The count recently lost his wife and he had the idea, quite natural for that time, to dedicate a funeral mass to this event. The order was made in secret because the count had an interesting weakness: he loved to perform works that were written to him himself. talented composers. At the same time, the count appropriated the authorship of the music without a twinge of conscience. There is reason to believe that Mozart knew about this, but still took the order, because he desperately needed money at that moment. So the secret was kept mutually - the great Mozart did not want to spoil his reputation - the title of “musical negro” was not according to his rank.

The composer did not get to work right away - he had to finish the operas “The Magic Flute” and “La Clemenza di Titus”. Only after them work began on the last order. And all this - a few months before his death. By the way, the assertion of some biographers that Mozart worked tirelessly on the requiem and did not finish the work only because of his sudden death is not entirely true. Judging by letters to friends and acquaintances, until November 1791 he felt great. Having received the order in July, the composer finds time to write not only operas, but also a clarinet concerto, “Little Masonic Cantata”, regularly attending performances of “The Magic Flute” and even... playing billiards.

But the fact remains that Mozart did not have time to finish the requiem. Exhausted by incomprehensible ailments, he knew that he was dying and tried to complete his last work. But out of twelve numbers conceived by the composer, only nine were written. Much is abridged or in drafts. Mozart's student Süssmayr completed the composition of the mass. By the way, there is an interesting version that the Requiem, under the guise of some unnamed opus, was written by Mozart long before the order, but was not presented to the general public. After receiving the order, the composer only had to get the scores and make some changes to them. But most likely, this is another legend...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a brilliant Austrian composer, and his most famous and mysterious work- “Requiem.”

He worked on this work until his death, but never managed to complete it. At the request of his wife Constance, Franz Xaver Süssmayer completed the Requiem.

The making of "Requiem"

In 1791, Mozart received an anonymous order to create the Requiem. It later turned out that Count Franz von Walsegg-Stuppach commissioned this composition in memory of his wife. He often took credit for the works of composers by purchasing copyrights. Mozart did this only because of lack of money. Researchers find similarities between the Requiem and the works of C. F. E. Bach, Michael Haydn, Domenico Cimarosa and François Gossec, but this is explained general framework and the principles of church music of the 18th century. Thus, Mozart’s “Requiem”, along with the works of Bach, is considered one of the most significant examples of church music of the 18th century.

Work on “Requiem” took a long time and was often interrupted by the writing of the opera “La Clemenza di Tito”, then by work on “The Magic Flute”, and then by the creation of a clarinet concerto and a Masonic cantata. The composer continued to work on the “Requiem” while lying down, so he managed to finish the Introitus, record the choral voices, outline the orchestration of the Kyrie, 6 parts of the Sequence. After Mozart's death, his wife, fearing that the customer would demand the fee back, asked first Josef Eibler to finish the composition, and then Franz Xaver Süssmayer. He completed Lacrimosa and wrote the entire Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei. Initially, it was hidden that Mozart had not completed the Requiem, but when the original autograph of this work was found in 1838, Mozart's wife publicly confirmed Süssmayer's participation.

The structure of "Requiem"

The work consists of fourteen parts:

• Introitus: Requiem aeternam (eternal peace) – chorus.
• Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy) - choral fugue, orchestration.
• Sequentia - orchestration.
• Dies irae (day of wrath) - chorus.
• Tuba mirum (eternal trumpet) - quartet for soprano, alto, tenor and bass.
• Rex tremendae majestatis (king of stunning greatness) – chorus.
• Recordare, Jesu pie (remember, merciful Jesus) – quartet.
• Confutatis maledictis (putting the wicked to shame) – ch.
• Lacrimosa dies illa (tearful day) – chorus.
• Offertorium - orchestration.
• Domine Jesu Christe (Lord Jesus Christ) - choir and quartet.
• Versus: Hostias et preces (Sacrifices and supplications) – chorus.
• Sanctus (holy) - choir and solo.
• Benedictus (blessed) - quartet, then choir.
• Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) - chorus.
• Communio: Lux aeterna (eternal light) - chorus.

One way or another, music experts can easily distinguish what was written by Mozart and what by Süssmayer. So we owe all the orchestration to Süssmayer. Its catchy and bold style added special expressiveness to Requiem.

V.A. Mozart- one of greatest representatives world musical classics, humanist artist , whose creative activity was associated with the advanced ideas of the Enlightenment.

Mozart's work is characterized by depth of thought, breadth, richness of content, variety of forms, optimism, vitality, expressive melody, and rare artistic perfection of form. Mozart synthesized in his work the diversity of European musical culture XVIII century and had a great influence on the development of almost all genres musical art, raised choral music to unattainable heights.

A significant part of the huge creative heritage Mozart's composition is choral music. He wrote works of large form for choir and orchestra: the oratorio “Penitent David”, “Betulia Liberated”, masses (among them the Great Mass in C-minor stands out), cantatas of spiritual and secular content (the most famous cantata is “To the Sun”), Requiem - the composer's latest creation.

Among Mozart's chamber choral works one can highlight a number of motets, individual spiritual works ("Kyrie", "Miserere"), hymns, and canons. The choirs “Summer Evening” and “Are verum corpus” are very popular in performing practice.

"Requiem" is one of the stable types of the Catholic Mass. Unlike its other varieties, it has undergone very significant changes in the last two centuries, without losing the general continuity of traditions. Intended for funeral liturgy it consisted of a number of hymns - unchangeable parts of the ordinary mass and graduals, psalms, sequences that directly marked the purpose and character of this liturgy. The requiem included "Kyrie", "Sanctus", "Agnus Dei" as traditional hymns. As the most ancient ritual, “Offertorium” was included. “Dies irae” turned out to be stable among the graduals. ( With

included in it, except for the title section "Tuba mirum", "Rex tremendae", "Recordare", "Confutatis", "Lacrimosa"). He opened the liturgy "Introitus" with the words "Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine" - "Give them eternal rest, Lord." This genre got its name from the initial words.

During the period of stabilization - until the 15th century. - the requiem took shape as a genre addressed to a mass audience, aimed at the spiritual unification of its various groups through empathy and sympathy. Ideas about death and the “other world” are reflected in this genre.

The canonization of the text led to a sharply defined structure of the genre and determined its stylistic characteristics: the predominance of slow movements, closed forms of reprise, and a special type of thematicism. Moreover, the hymn parts musical material, as a rule, did not differ from the sections of the ordinary Mass of the same name.

A significant genre transformation of the pre-classical requiem was carried out by a representative of the Venetian school, Cavalli. The sequence "Dies irae" in his requiems became a peculiar dramatic center thanks to the emphatic voice acting of many textual details and the introduction of horror effects.

The process of the genre going beyond the cult style took place in the sphere of its contacts with secular instrumental music. The first results appeared in the work of G. Gabrieli (Viennese polyphonic school of the 16th century), who created a new type of requiem - with instrumental accompaniment, which existed until the middle of the 17th century. in parallel with a cappella. The classics of the 18th century were attracted to the requiem by the original seriousness of the theme, which required restraint and nobility of expression. The best examples of the genre of the classical period belong to Gasse (German), Iommelli (Italian) and Mozart.

From that time on, the requiem took on the features of a concert genre. This was due to the fact that the XVIII - early. XIX centuries were associated with the general decline of religious feeling that once united wide sections of the population. Thus, F. Liszt's requiem (1869 - 1870) represents an original example of the synthesis of stylistic elements of the sacred music of the Renaissance and the composer's melodic-harmonic means.

We find a different interpretation of the genre in Bruckner, Fauré, Dvorak, and Puccini. While preserving the Latin text, the authors do not recreate the musical model of the medieval mass. The verbal basis seems to lose its original meaning, and the works themselves as a whole are closely related to either a cantata or an oratorio.

Thus, the evolution of the genre at the end of the 18th century. - early 20th century led, on the one hand, to a significant expansion of its ideological themes with frequent appeal to patriotic motives, on the other hand, through interaction with other choral genres and theater to the final entry into the field of concert practice and the loss of many of the original qualities of the primary model.

The first decades of the 20th century. marked by a weakening of interest in the large choral form, did not produce significant results in the field of requiem. In 1916, the English composer Delius first created a Requiem for prose texts from the writings of Nietzsche. Only D. Weill's Berlin Requiem dates back to the 20s.

Therefore, when classifying modern requiems according to the type of text model, three main groups are formed:

· requiems on the Latin liturgical text: "Requiem Canticles"
(funeral chants) by I. Stravinsky, requiem by D. Ligeti (Hungarian), music by A. Schnittke for F. Schiller’s tragedy “Don Carlos”.

· "Requiem for Those We Love" by Hindemith;

· Britten's war requiem, "Dies irae" by Penderecki.

In conclusion, we can say that the requiem genre has gone through various stages evolution of artistic consciousness, various stylistic eras and trends. At the same time, the main qualities of the primary model were preserved by composers in the conditions of one or another system of musical language.

Mozart's "Requiem" is, without a doubt, not only one of the best creations of its brilliant author, it is one of the the best creatures world musical literature. All pages of this work - from the most tender lyrical to the extremely tragic - are deeply humane. "Requiem" was created by Mozart in the last months preceding his death. The order was received in May 1791 on behalf of a mysterious stranger sent from Count Franz Von Walseg. The count intended to pass off this work as his own, since it was customary for rich amateurs to buy works from needy composers and count them among their opuses. And, only by chance, the world owes this greatest work, amazing also because in Mozart’s work, “Requiem” appears as a completely different, unusual and, moreover, final stage in the evolution of the master’s creative consciousness.

As you know, the dying Mozart wrote the Requiem with incredible exertion of his last strength and still did not have time to complete it. He bequeathed the completion of his last essay to his favorite student, Süssmayer. It has been more or less reliably established that in the Requiem it belongs to Mozart and that it was completed by his student. The first number "Requiem aeternam" was written entirely by the composer in the form of a completed score. In the following numbers (Dies irae; Tuba mirum; Rex tremendae; Recordare; Confutatis; Domine Jesu, Hostias, partly Lacrymosa), Mozart wrote the vocal part, gave a harmonic basis and in some places orchestrated. Most of music composed by Süssmayer refers to the last three numbers. However, it should be taken into account that, fulfilling Mozart’s request, the entire fugue from No. 1 (Kyrie eleison) was included in the last number (Agnus Dei).

The genre of the funeral mass (as well as the Sunday and holiday mass) is based on the canonized texts of prayers pronounced on Latin. Some of them ("Kyrie eleison", "Sanctus", "Benedictus", "Agnus Dei") are the same as in the Sunday mass. However, the essence of the funeral service is revealed in other texts that are characteristic only of it and the corresponding musical numbers. The first of them is “Requiem aeternam” (“Grants them eternal peace”), opening the service, together with “Kyrie eleison” (“Lord have mercy”), it forms a large introduction. The next section, “Dies irae” (“Day of Wrath”), is the main one in the Requiem. Draws pictures of the end of the world, the Last Judgment. Two numbers - "Domine Jesu" ("Lord Jesus") and "Hostias" ("Sacrifice") - form the third section (offertory), which leads to the rite performed on the deceased. "Sanctus" opens the fourth section, which includes "Benedictus" and "Agnus Dei". From this moment on, the motives of grief are removed, the idea of ​​​​involving the deceased with eternal life gives rise to images of joy and jubilation. The funeral mass approaches the Sunday mass only in the Agnus Dei. The prayer text has been changed in accordance with the content of the service; in particular, this section ends with words reminiscent of its beginning; "cum sanctus tuis in aeternam" ("rest with the saints").

The main role in "Requiem" is played by the choir. Of the twelve numbers, nine are performed by a choir with individual phrases by soloists, three by a quartet of soloists. Imitative polyphony is widely used in the work. Many numbers are presented in a mixed style (harmonic and polyphonic). In "Requiem" there are three fugues, each of them runs twice: Kyrie and Agnus Dei (first and last number), Domine Jesu and Hostias (numbers eight and nine), Sanctus and Benedictus (numbers ten and eleven).

IN choral music"Requiem" is influenced by Mozart's remarkable predecessors - Bach and Handel.

1. “Requiem aeternam” (Eternal peace) - a prayer for the granting of peace to the weary soul and for the illumination of its dark, eternal light of goodness and joy. This part ends with a tense exclamation of “Lord, have mercy.”

2. “Dies irae” (day of wrath) - the day of great judgment, the day of vengeance and
payback. A stern hymn of the Middle Ages, when people gathered among
so much grief and tears, insults and horrors that the human imagination could not
I would then have to come to terms with the knowledge that the judge will not come and the tears will remain
unavenged. The rapidly stormy onslaught of this music gives way to
with a menacing cry.

3. “Tuba mirum” (Trumpet of the Eternal). Mozart has a majestic introduction by the trombone, followed by the crying and painful sighs of the condemned against the background of the strings: “What will I say, unfortunate one, to which defender will I turn?”

4. “Rex tremendae” (The king is amazing). Trembling and shuddering are replaced by light, smoothly unfolding.

5. “Recordare” (Sword of Mercy) - a prayer for mercy, as if in response a gloomy sentence sounds.

6. “Confutatis” (Shaming) – “into the flames of the damned!” But as soon as the groaning subsides, the prayer is heard again: “Call me to the righteous!”

7. “Lacrymosa” (Tearful) – the gentle color of Mozart’s lyrics: “rest your creatures on that mournful day of tears.”

8. “Domine Jesu” (Lord Jesus) - “God, deliver the souls of the dead from the torments of hell” - widely deployed, on dramatic contrasts of voice groups in harmony, sometimes in plexus, sometimes in powerful unison - a universal prayer is based.

9. “Hostias” (Sacrifice) – reverent offering.

10. "Sanctus" (Holy) - brilliant solar news.

11. “Benedictus” (Blessed) – softly flowing, wavy
the melodic line sounds like a good greeting: “Blessed is he who comes.”
Both "Sanctus" and "Benedictus" close with the joyful cries of "Hosanna".

12. “Agnus Dei” (Lamb of God) - “take away the sin of the world, grant them eternal
peace" - the final universal prayer, expressively closes the whole
a majestic and tragic idea.

The entire work is imbued with high humanism, passionate love for man, and ardent sympathy for his suffering.