Requiem
tagStarted medieval eraPeak 1750–1965Last big hit still active
The requiem sets the Mass for the Dead, and its sound world ranges from hushed prayer and floating supplication to terror, judgment, and apocalyptic choral-orchestral fire. The genre's emotional grammar is unusually wide: one requiem may feel like candlelight, another like the ceiling opening.
History
Named for the opening words "Requiem aeternam," the requiem moved from liturgical chant into large composed settings and then into memorial concert works. Mozart, Verdi, Fauré, Duruflé, Britten, and others made the genre a privileged place for confronting death, grief, violence, and consolation, which is why it remains one of the most enduring forms in the choral canon.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica entries on requiem, choral music, and sacred music.