Commitment Factor: 45 - 50 minutes

Vital Statistics: Classical Period (1791). Composed for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, the work consists of the text of the Latin Requiem in which each major section is arranged for a different combination of forces.

What to Listen For: As with all works employing a text, it’s important that you follow the words carefully and pay attention to the way that the composer finds a music equivalent to the emotions or images suggested by them. One of the most obvious examples in this piece is the “Tuba Miram,” in which a trombone announces the last judgment. In fact, this is one of the most controversial passages, with critics and scholars hotly divided about whether or not the music itself is by Mozart, or his pupil Sussmayr, who completed the piece after the composer’s death. Either way, you will see that both composers carefully consider the meaning of the words when creating the musical setting.