Page 212 - (DK) The Classical Music Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained

210

I WANTED TO

DO SOMETHING

DIFFERENT

REQUIEM (1887–1890), GABRIEL FAURÉ

IN CONTEXT

FOCUS
Requiem Mass
BEFORE
1837 Hector Berlioz composes
his Grande Messe des morts
(Requiem), for a large choir,
enormous orchestra, and four
offstage brass ensembles.
1874 Verdi’s operatic Requiem,
for four vocal soloists, double
choir, and orchestra, has its
first performance.
AFTER
1913 Fauré’s opera Pénélope is t is unlikely that Fauré wrote Fauré plays the piano at the home
premiered. While the influence his Requiem in direct response of the Catalan composer Isaac Albéniz
of Wagner is more apparent I to the death of any individual, (right). With them is the Belgian
than in earlier works, it still although the recent deaths of his composer and conductor Léon Jehin
has an understated quality. parents may have focused his mind and Albéniz’s pupil Clara Sansoni.
on the project. The composer stated
1948 Maurice Duruflé that his main motivation was to the Sequence section, with its
completes his Requiem, produce an original requiem. He passage on the Dies Irae (Wrath
which, like Fauré’s, includes was familiar with the form having of God), which so many previous
the Pie Jesu, Libera me, and spent years as a choirmaster and composers had used as an
In paradisum sections. organist, during which he had opportunity to produce loud and
accompanied numerous funerals. dramatic music. This was replaced
The differences began with the in Fauré’s first version of the score
text. Fauré set a shortened version by a setting of Pie Jesu, a prayer to
of the Latin Mass for the Dead, Jesus for everlasting rest, at the
omitting, among other passages, end of which he also added an

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