Mozart unsuccessfully rushing frantically to finish his Requiem (Mass for the Dead) before his own demise (1791); Britten, the conscientious objector, composing A War Requiem (1961) dedicated to friends that he lost in WWII; Danielpour inscribing An American Requiem (2001) to the victims of 9/11. Different times, different catalysts! Mozart’s and Verdi’s traditional “hellfire and brimstone” Roman Catholic Latin text; Brahms’ comforting passages from the Psalms in German; Britten’s use of Wilfred Owen’s World War I poetry; Danielpour’s Dixieland “walking bass” and jazz vocals; Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway-infused sound. Different times, different languages, different styles! Berlioz, Dvorak, Faure, Penderecki, Cherubini, Saint-Saens, Michael Haydn (Joseph’s brother), Delius, Puccini, Donizetti, Gregory Spears, Herbert Howells, Otto Olsson: famous and not-so-famous--all composers of requiems! So many requiems, so little time! Class size limit: 85. Suggested Reading: Have fun searching "requiem" to listen to a wide variety of composers on YouTube. Click on different sections of requiems (e.g., Kyrie, Sanctus, Pie Jesu, In Paradisum) and see which are most dramatic, most peaceful, most ethereal, or most pleasing to YOUR ears . . .
