Sunday, September 11, 2011

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Requiem in D Minor

Missa pro defunctis is the Catholic Mass for the Dead, celebrated for the repose of the soul of the late departed.  It is a very, very ancient rite.

Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
The Requiem traditionally was sung, and there are scores dating back half a millennium for at least parts of the mass.  Composing a Requiem was an essential rite of passage for composers throughout the ages.  Mozart's is probably the most famous.

He never finished it - his death put a stamp of finality on the score.  It also added to the mood of the piece, at least for me.



I will post about the events of a decade ago later today.  For now, there's the music of Mozart's unfinished Mass, in the hopes of repose of the souls lost from that day.



Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.  Amen.

2 comments:

Southern Belle said...

Beautiful piece of music on a somber day. As always, thank you for posting.

Guffaw in AZ said...

A perfect choice. Thanks for posting. gfa