Verdi wrote the Messa da Requiem to the memory of his revered compatriot, Alessandro

Manzoni. It was first heard in 1874, a year to the day after Manzoni's death.

Requiem
I have marked differences in the texts as for the compositions of Berlioz, Verdi, and Mozart.
Both Mozart and Verdi stick close to the original liturgical text, while Berlioz has made a few
dramaturgical alternations.

Irony of fate: Mozart died (1791) while he was working at the Requiem, so the "Lacrimosa"
was completed by a composer named Süßmayr, who also composed the parts "Sanctus",
"Benedictus", "Agnus Dei", and "Communio".

Cherubini's Requiem (1816) was well renowned in the 19th century and performed at
Beethoven's funeral. Quite impressing is his "Dies irae" movement. It opens with a striking
fanfare, in the following choral parts humble pleading abruptly alternates with freezing terror.

Berlioz was reproached with the monumentalism of his "Grand Messe des Morts" (1837)
calling for a main orchestra of 300 musicians, 4 side orchestras, and a big choir. At its first
performance at Les Invalides in Paris 25 choir members fainted or had nervous breakdowns
when choir, the main orchestra, and the side orchestras together with 16 drums and 10
cymbals striked in simultaneously to bring up a sound portrait of the end of the world.

Similar to Berlioz' version in Verdi's "Tuba mirum" the fanfares come from all sides and
from far and near. His work (1873) concludes with the "Libera me" from the Absolution, a
movement which also occurs in several later compositions of other componists (Dvorak,
Fauré, and others).

It is striking that the composers of the most expressive Requiem compositions - Berlioz and
Verdi - were not exactly good catholics. Berlioz declared himself an atheist while Verdi was
renowned for being far from deeply religious.

Fauré must have detested Berlioz' Requiem. While the latter emphasizes the horror of the
purgatory Fauré leaves out the whole Sequence (Dies irae ...) which describes doomsday.
Instead his version (1888) ends with an additional movement "In paradisum" thus stressing
the consoling character of his composition even more.

THE VERDI REQUIEM

This year marks the l00th anniversary of the death of Giuseppe Verdi. The 87-year-old
composer died on January 27, l901. The Verdi Centennial is being observed in opera houses
and concert halls world-wide with performances of Verdi's Messa da Requiem, or Requiem
Mass. Verdi wrote this Mass in memory of the great Italian novelist Alessandro Manzoni.

When Verdi was 16 years old, he read Manzoni's famous novel, I Promessi Sposi (The
Betrothed), and from then on Verdi was in awe of Manzoni's national vision and sense of
humanity. When the 89-year-old novelist died in l873, Verdi wrote to his publisher: "I am
deeply saddened by the death of our great man. But I will not come to Milan tomorrow
because I haven't the heart to attend his funeral. I'll come in a little while to visit his grave,
alone and without being seen." On June 2, Verdi travelled to Milan and early the next
morning, he visited the gravesite, alone. Later that day, he again wrote to his publisher, telling
him he would like to compose a Requiem Mass to be performed the following year on the first
anniversary of Manzoni's death.

The world premiere of the Verdi Requiem took place in Milan's Church of San Marco on May
22, l874. Verdi himself conducted a chorus of 120 singers and an orchestra of l00 musicians,
with soloists from La Scala. Two of the soloists, soprano Teresa Stoltz and mezzo Maria
Waldmann, had created the roles of Aida and Amneris for the Italian premiere of Aida just
two years earlier. Verdi had announced his retirement then, and he subsequently thought the
Requiem would be his last work, little dreaming that his Shakespearean operas, Otello (l887)
and Falstaff (l898), would follow much later.

Although the premiere of the Requiem took place in a church, it was not meant to be a church
service, but rather a public tribute to Manzoni. Verdi used the ancient words of the Roman
Catholic Mass for the Dead, a liturgy filled with images of fire, light, darkness, Heaven and
Hell. He selected the texts he wanted, and he re-arranged them when he deemed it necessary
in order to heighten the drama of the work. He was faithful to the meaning of the text, but
through his music he went beyond the words to release the feelings they evoke, from
wrenching terror to wondrous peace.

He evoked these feelings by using the same techniques he used in opera: the eloquent
melodies, vigorous rhythms, dramatic contrasts, and highly theatrical moments. In his operas,
however, the composer had to express emotions within the context of character and plot. In
the Requiem, he had the freedom to express the most universal feelings without being
encumbered either by the requirements of theater or by the traditions of church music. And
during the course of the Requiem, Verdi pondered thoughts about the finality of death, the
nature of God and eternity, and the accountability of every human being. The thoughts and
emotions are universal, and the musical settings are often monumental. And yet, the
eloquence of the music is such that the Verdi Requiem becomes a personal experience for the
listener.

The Requiem begins with a murmured prayer for the deceased, followed by the formal Kyrie,
a prayer for mercy. Then comes the emotional heart of the piece, the Dies Irae. The words are
taken from a medieval poem written by Thomas of Celano, a 13th century follower and friend
of St. Francis of Assisi. The words create a grim picture of Judgment Day designed to frighten
the worshipper into leading a more virtuous life.

Four violent chords in the full orchestra announce the first part of the Dies Irae, and the
chorus loudly proclaims, "Day of wrath. That day on which everything will be reduced to
ashes. So said David and the Sybil." The music exudes sheer terror, and it becomes the
unifying force throughout the Requiem. Sometimes, an extended passage of this first section
of the Dies Irae is repeated by the orchestra and chorus; at other times, just the opening words
recur.

The rest of the Dies Irae is remarkable for the variety of moods and musical forms created by
Verdi. For instance, in the Tuba Mirum, trumpets are placed off stage as well as on, creating
an all-encompassing call to Judgment as the chorus declares, "Trumpets, spreading a
wondrous sound, will summon the dead from their tombs." This powerful chorus is followed
by the Mors Stupebit ("Death will astonish"), a brief bass solo in which the singer softly
repeats the word "mors" again and again, with silence between each utterance suggesting the
void created by death. And when the chorus sings Rex Tremendae Majestatis (King of
tremendous majesty), the sound is forbidding, even oppressive.

Later in the Dies Irae, the mourners call on Jesus for forgiveness, and the music becomes
more lyrical and expansive, suggesting that the compassionate person of Christ inspires
devotion rather than the fear associated with the image of an omnipotent God. This is
particularly true of the famous tenor solo, the Ingemisco, a radiant expression of hope.

In contrast to all that precedes it is the Sanctus, an expression of pure joy. The chorus sings
"Holy, holy holy, Lord God of Hosts" to a light, graceful melody, accompanied by staccato
strings and piccolo. Then the mood becomes utterly serene as the chorus sings "Heaven and
earth are filled with your glory," and the melody reflects the wonder and peace inherent in the
words. That wonder carries over into the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), an ethereal piece for
soprano and mezzo with chorus. But the peaceful atmosphere is shattered at the end of the
Requiem with the Libera Me. The soprano cries out, "Free me, Lord, from eternal death....
when you will come to judge the world by fire," and that outcry expresses the anguish of
every human being aching to be delivered from eternal punishment.

Verdi understood the deepest emotions of the human heart --- grief, fear, guilt, love, and even
joy. He expressed those emotions with passion and understanding in his operas. And in the
Requiem, he expressed them with a freedom and depth that make this masterpiece unique.

The Unitel performance of Verdi's Messa da Requiem (l967) features soprano Leontyne Price,
mezzo Fiorenza Cossotto, tenor Luciano Pavarotti, and bass Nikolai Ghiaurov. Herbert von
Karajan conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of Milan's Teatro alla Scala.