Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756-1791)

Requiem in D Minor, K. 626
Begun in 1791, unfinished 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem remains one of classical music’s most intriguing works. Commissioned in 1791 by the Austrian Count Franz von Walsegg-Stuppach, the Requiem was cloaked in mystery from its inception. The Count, hoping to memorialize his young wife Anna who passed away at just 20, sent an anonymous messenger to Mozart with a request for the composition, a gesture that would later seed countless tales and rumors.

This Requiem was composed during a tumultuous period in Mozart's life. In the same year, he graced the world with his operas, La clemenza di Tito and The Magic Flute. However, the allure of the Requiem called to him, and by autumn, he began shaping this seminal Mass for the Dead. Fate, however, had other plans. Falling ill in November, Mozart passed away on December 5th, leaving the composition incomplete.

Determined to honor her husband's final work, Constanze Mozart approached several composers for its completion, the most notable being Franz Xaver Süssmayr. The waters of authorship were muddied by Süssmayr's subsequent forgery of Mozart’s signature on the autograph score, igniting debates that persist to this day regarding the true composer of certain sections. While Mozart’s authentic contributions include sections such as the Introitus, the Kyrie fugue, and most of the Sequenz, Süssmayr has claimed pieces like the latter part of the Lacrimosa and the Agnus Dei.

The music itself is a testament to Mozart's genius. The somber tones of the Mass for the Dead echo the sorrows of a world on the brink of the Romantic era. Through the Sequenz, one experiences the vastness of Judgment Day, transitioning from the thunderous proclamation of the Dies irae to the sorrowful introspection of the Lacrimosa. The powerful dialogues between the chorus and soloists capture the grandeur of universal destinies against the backdrop of personal anguish.

Despite its inherent gravity, the Requiem also showcases Mozart's mastery of 18th-century church music conventions, hinting at the inspirations he drew from earlier works and even his contemporaneous The Magic Flute. The plaintive cry of the opening Introitus resonates with the choral intricacies of the Kyrie, which itself employs an unusual perfect fifth to conclude, imbuing the work with an aura of solemnity.

The tale of Mozart's Requiem is as much about its music as its legends. Salzburg newspapers once reported Mozart's lament, fearing he was penning his own requiem. And while movies like Amadeus have sensationalized the narrative, what remains undeniable is the Requiem’s monumental importance in classical music.

Instrumentation –  two basset horns, two bassoons,  two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, and strings

Duration – 60 minutes

~ Kenneth Bean
Georg and Joyce Albers-Schonberg Assistant Conductor
Princeton Symphony Orchestra