Requiem is an instrumental musical composition by

Hans Werner Henze Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) was a German composer. His large List of compositions by Hans Werner Henze, oeuvre is extremely varied in style, having been influenced by serialism, atonality, Igor Stravinsky, Stravinsky, Mu ...

, premiered in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

on 24 February 1993. It consists of nine sacred concertos for piano solo, trumpet and large chamber orchestra. About this piece, the composer has the following comments.

These nine instrumental pieces are concerned with the human fears and problems of our time, with illness and death, love and loneliness, and in particular with the character of Michael Vyner, an extremely lively and passionate man, his life and his death, and my grief at his loss which stands for the loss of so many others who have also tragically departed from our world. The spirit of this music can be explained by such facts and by our time, by which it seems to me to be strongly influenced, by its horrors and passions, its beauty and dynamics. The movements of the ''Requiem'' can be played separately or in any desired combination. ''Hans Werner Henze''

Background

composed the nine Sacred Concertos that comprise his

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

over the course of three years from 1991 to 1993 on commissions from the

London Sinfonietta The London Sinfonietta is an English contemporary chamber music, chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble has headquarters at Kings Place and is Resident Orchestra at the Southbank Centre. Since its inaugural concert ...

, Suntory Corporation for the NHK Philharmonic, and

Westdeutscher Rundfunk (; "West German Broadcasting Cologne"), shortened to WDR (), is a German public broadcasting, public-broadcasting institution based in the States of Germany, Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a const ...

. The first movement, ''Introitus: Requiem Aeternam'' was commissioned by the London Sinfonietta as part of a memorial concert for Artistic Director Michael Vyner who died on 20 October 1989. In addition to Henze, the London Sinfonietta also commissioned seven other prominent composers (

Luciano Berio Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was an Italian composer noted for his experimental music, experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition ''Sinfonia (Berio), Sinfonia'' and his series of virtuosic solo pieces titled ''Seque ...

, Sir

Harrison Birtwistle Sir Harrison Birtwistle (15 July 1934 – 18 April 2022) was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include '' T ...

, Sir

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Music ...

Toru Takemitsu TORU or Toru may refer to: *TORU, spacecraft system *Tōru (given name), Japanese male given name *Toru, Pakistan, village in Mardan District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan *Tõru Tõru is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Es ...

Oliver Knussen Stuart Oliver Knussen (12 June 1952 – 8 July 2018) was a British composer of contemporary classical music and conductor. Among the most influential British composers of his generation, his relatively few compositions are "rooted in 20th-cen ...

, and

Nigel Osborne Nigel Osborne (born 23 June 1948) is a British composer, teacher and aid worker. He served as Reid Professor of Music at the University of Edinburgh and has also taught at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover. Known for his e ...

) to write works in Vyner's memory to make up the program which was performed on the 6 May 1990.

Structure

Henze's Requiem consists of nine sacred concertos that carry the common titles of the

requiem mass A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is u ...

in 8 out of 9 movements, albeit out of order. The one exception is the

Ave verum corpus is a short Eucharistic chant that has been set to music by many composers. It dates to the 13th century, first recorded in a central Italian Franciscan manuscript (Chicago, Newberry Library, 24). A Reichenau manuscript of the 14th century attri ...

, though in his autobiography ''Bohemian Fifths'' he never expressly states why. Even though the movements carry the traditional titles, there are no singers, and no text within the work. In his autobiography, Henze states that this choice was made to open up the scope of the Requiem and make it a "...secular, multicultural piece, an act of brotherly love that was written, 'in memoriam Michael Vyner,' whose name does duty for all the many other people in the world who have died before their time and whose sufferings and passing are mourned in my music."(471) The nine movements are listed in the order in the published score below, although it was officially stated that "movements can also be played in any desired combination." The total duration of the piece is approximately 70 minutes, with ''approximate'' playing time for each movement indicated.

Fact sheet

Length: Approx. 70 Minutes
Publisher: Schott
Dedication: in memoriam Michael Vyner
Full Title: Requiem: Nine Sacred Concertos for Piano Solo, Trumpet Concertante and large Chamber Orchestra

First complete performance

February 24, 1993, Philharmonic Hall, Cologne Ensemble Modern

First performances of individual movements

*Introitus: May 6, 1990, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London Sinfonietta * Dies Irae: December 11, 1991, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, London Sinfonietta *

Ave Verum Corpus is a short Eucharistic chant that has been set to music by many composers. It dates to the 13th century, first recorded in a central Italian Franciscan manuscript (Chicago, Newberry Library, 24). A Reichenau manuscript of the 14th century attri ...

: Premiered with Dies Irae and Lux Aeterna *Lux Aeterna: Premiered with Dies Irae and Ave Verum Corpus *Rex Tremendae: November 26, 1992, Suntory Hall, Tokyo, NHK Symphony Orchestra *

Agnus Dei is the Latin name under which the "Lamb of God" is honoured within Christian liturgies descending from the historic Latin liturgical tradition, including those of Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism. It is the name given to a spec ...

: January 14, 1991, BBC Henze Festival, Barbican Centre, London, Parnassus Ensemble *Tuba Mirum: February 24, 1993, Philharmonic Hall, Cologne, Ensemble Modern *

Lacrimosa The ''Lacrimosa'' (Latin for " weeping/tearful"), is part of the Dies Irae sequence in the Catholic Requiem Mass. Its text comes from the Latin 18th and 19th stanzas of the sequence. Many composers, including Mozart, Berlioz, and Verdi have set ...

: Premiered with Rex Tremendae and Sanctus *

Sanctus The ''Sanctus'' (, "Holy") is a hymn in Christian liturgy. It may also be called the ''epinikios hymnos'' (, "Hymn of Victory") when referring to the Greek rendition and parts of it are sometimes called "Benedictus". ''Tersanctus'' (Latin: "Thr ...

: Premiered with Rex Tremendae and Lacrimosa

Instrumentation

*Trumpet Concertante in C *Piano Solo *2 Flutes (doubling piccolo and alto flute) *1 Oboe *1 English Horn *1 B♭ Clarinet (Doubling E♭) *1 B♭ Bass Clarinet (Doubling B♭ Contrabass Clarinet) *1 Soprano Saxophone (Doubling E♭ Alto and E♭ Baritone Sax) *1 Bassoon *2 Horns in F *2 Trumpets in C *2 Bass Trumpets in C (Tuba Mirum only) *1 Tenor Trombone *1 Bass Trombone (Doubling Contrabass Trombone) *Timpani *Harp *Celesta *4 Violins *3 Violas *3 Cellos *1 Double Bass *Percussion (3 Players): **Triangle **3 Suspended Cymbals **Cymbals (pair) **3 Tamtams **

Thunder sheet A thunder sheet is a thin sheet of metal used to produce sound effects for musical or dramatic events. The device may be shaken, causing it to vibrate, or struck with a mallet. It is also known as a thunder machine, though this can also refer ...

**Woodblock **Temple Blocks **Tambourine **Snare Drum **3 Tomtoms **String Drum **Bass Drum with Cymbal **Matraca

Bibliography

*Henze, Hans Werner. ''Musik und Politik: Schriften und Gespräche 1955–1975'', ed. J. Brockmeier (Munich, 1976, enlarged 2/1984; Eng. trans., 1982) ncl. Essays, 1964*Henze, Hans Werner. ''Reiselieder mit böhmischen Quinten: autobiographische Mitteilungen''. 1926–1995 (Frankfurt, 1996; Eng. trans., 1998) *Henze, Hans Werner. ''Ein Werkverzeichnis''. 1946–1996 Schott, Mainz, 1996. *Palmer-Fuchsel, Virginia
Hans Werner Henze
Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy

References

{{authority control 1993 compositions Henze Compositions by Hans Werner Henze