Requiems

[John Hudock]

I have a special spot in my heart for requiems and have collected them for years. In many cases they are very personal works composed on the occasion of a friend's or loved one's death and are frequently filled with some of the most poignant music in the repertoire.

I have gathered together my collection of Requiems, so that the folks here can append any other gems I have missed.

The "Sung" - The famous and frequently performed
Mozart, W.A                             Requiem
Verdi, Giuseppe                         Requiem
Brahms, Johannes                        German Requiem, Op 45
Britten, Benjamin                       War Requiem, Op 66
Faure, Gabriel                          Requiem, Op 48
Durufle, Maurice                        Requiem, Op 9
Victoria, Tomas Luis de                 Requiem
Webber, Andrew Lloyd                    Requiem
Rutter, John                            Requiem
Berlioz, Hector                         Requiem, Op 5

The "Unsung"  (I have marked with * those I especially love, but there is a great deal of beauty in many of these works)
Artyomov, Vyacheslav                    Requiem
Axelrod, David                          Requiem  The Holocaust
Balada, Leonardo                        No-Res (Agnostic Requiem)
Balakauskas, Osvaldas                   Requiem in memoriam Stasys Lozoraitis
Beveridge, Thomas                       Yizkor Requiem
Biber, Heinrich                         Requiem in A Major, A.15
                                        Requiem in F Minor
Bontempo, Joao Domingos                 Requiem
Borodin, Alexander                      Requiem (arr Leopold Stokowski)

Bruckner, Anton                         Requiem in D Minor (1949)
Bryars, Gavin                           Cadman Requiem
Campra, Andre                           Requiem
Catoire, Jean                           Extasia - A Requiem Sequence
Charpentier, Marc-Antoine               Requiem Mass
Cherubini, Luigi*                       Requiem in C Minor
                                        Requiem in D Minor (both were championed by Toscanini, but the D Minor is better known)
Chesnokov, Pavel                        Requiem No 2, Op 39
Cimarosa, Domenico                      Requiem pro Defunctis
Clucas, Henry                           Requiem
Cordans, Bartolomeo                     Messa da Requiem
Cornelius, Peter                        Requiem
                                        Requiem 'Seele, Vergiss Sie Nicht'
Danielpour, Richard                     American Requiem
de Lange, Daniel                        Requiem (1868)
Delius, Frederick                       Requiem
Denisov, Edison                         Requiem (1980)
Desenclos, Alfred                       Messe de Requiem
Dittersdorf, Carl Ditters von           Requiem in C Minor
Dobrogosz, Steve                        Requiem
Donizetti, Gaetano                      Messa di Requiem
Draeseke, Felix                         Requiem, Op 22
du Caurroy, Eustache                    Requiem des Rois de France
Durante, Francesco                      Requiem in G Minor
Dvorak, Antonin                         Requiem
Eybler, Joseph                          Requiem in C Minor
Eychenne, Marc                          Requiem
Finzi, Gerald                           Requiem da Camera
Foulds, John*                           A World Requiem, Op 60
Frygyes, Hidas                          Requiem
Fux, Johann Joseph                      Requiem Aeternum 'Kaiserrequiem', K 51-53
Gagneux, Renaud                         Requiem
Gorli, Sandro                           Requiem
Gossec, Francois-Joseph*                Requiem (Missa Pro Defuncis)
Gounod, Charles                         Requiem in C Major
Gouvy, Theodor                          Requiem
Greif, Olivier                          Requiem
Grippe, Ragna                           Requiem for Soprano & Synthesizer
Hamerik, Asger                          Requiem, Op 34
Hasse, Johann Adolf*                    Requiem in C Major
                                        Requiem in E flat Major
Haydn, Michael                          Missa 'Pro Defuncto Archiepiscopo Sigismundo' (Requiem), MH 155
                                        Requiem in B flat Major 'Opus Ultimum'
                                        Requiem in C Minor, MH 559
Henze, Hans Werner                      Requiem
Hidas, Frigyes                          Requiem
Hindemith, Paul                         Requiem 'When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd'
Holmboe, Vagn                           Requiem for Nietzsche
Hovhaness, Alan                         Requiem and resurrection, Op 224
Howells, Herbert                        Requiem
Imbrie, Andrew                          Requiem (1984)
Kabelevsky, Dmitri                      Requiem, Op 72
Kilar, Wojciech*                        Requiem Father Kolbe
Kokkonen, Joonas                        Requiem
Lachner, Franz                          Requiem in F Minor, Op 146
Lassus, Orlande de                      Requiem
Ligeti, Gyorgy                          Requiem
Liszt, Franz                            Requiem, R.488
Lobo, Duarte                            Requiem for six voices
Lotti, Antonio*                         Requiem in F Major
Luchesi, Andrea                         Requiem e Dies irae
Luhl, Enguerrand-Friedrich              Requiem Vauban
Maciejewski, Roman                      Requiem
Marcello, Benedetto                     Requiem in the Venetian Manner
Marini, Giovanna*                       Requiem
Martin, Frank*                          Requiem
Martynov, Vladimir                      Requiem
Moran, Robert                           Requiem - Cygne du cygne
Neukomm, Sigismund                      Requiem
Ockeghem, Johannes                      Requiem
Olsson, Otto*                           Requiem
Palestrina, Giovanni                    Requiem
Penderecki, Krzysztof                   Polish Requiem
Perosi, Lorenzo                         Messa da Requiem
Pizzetti, Ildebrando                    Messa di Requiem
Preisner, Zbigniew                      Requiem for My Friend
Puccini, Giacomo                        Requiem
Rabassa, Pedro                          Requiem
Reijseger, Ernst                        Requiem for a Dying  Planet (2006)
Rejcha, Antonin                         Requiem
Rheinberger, Josef                      Requiem in D Minor, Op 194
Richafort, Jean                         Requiem
Ropartz, Joseph-Guy                     Requiem
Rutti. Carl                             Requiem
Saint-Saens, Camille                    Requiem
Salieri, Antonio                        Piccolo Requiem
Schnittke, Alfred                       Requiem (1974-75)
Schubert, Ferdinand                     Requiem, Op 9
Schumann, Robert                        Requiem für Mignon, Op. 98b
                                        Requiem, Op 148
Senator, Ronal                          Holocaust Requiem - Kaddish for Terezin
Sgambati, Giovanni                      Messa da Requiem
Silvestrov, Valentin                    Requiem for Larissa
Smith, Richard W                        Mountain Requiem
Stanford, Charles Villiers              Requiem
Suppe, Franz von                        Requiem
Tabart, Pierre                          Requiem
Tavener, John                           Akhmatova Requiem
                                        Celctic Requiem
Tomasek, Vaclav Jan                     Requiem in C Minor
Tomasi, Henri                           Requiem pour la Paix
Torres-Santos, Raymond                  Requiem
Tubin, Eduard                           Requiem for Fallen Soldiers
Vycpalek, Ladislav                      Czech Requiem (Death and Redemption), Op 24
Wehrli, Werne                           Ein Weltisches Requiem
Weill, Kurt                             Das Berliner Requiem
Weinberg, Mieczyslaw                    Requiem, Op 96
Wetz, Richard                           Requiem
Zelenka, Jan                            Requiem In C Minor
                                        Requiem in D Minor, Z 48

To finish off, some requiem inspired works
Hanson, Howard                          Sym No 4 'Requiem', Op 34
Hartmann, Karl Amadeus                  Sym No. 1 'Essay for a Requiem'
Ritzen, Peter                           Chinese Requiem on a Poem of Santiago M. Ruperez Dura
Sculthorpe, Peter                       Requiem for Cello Alone
Riley, Terry                            Requiem for Adam
Kox, Hans                               War Triptych ii Requiem for Europe
Lokshin, Alexander                      Sym No.01 (Requiem)  (1957)
Glass, Philip                           Sym No 5 'Requiem, Bardo, Nirmanakaya'
Takemitsu, Toru                         Requiem for Strings
Britten, Benjamin                       Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20
Stravinsky, Igor                        Requiem Canticles

[chill319]

That's a useful list. It's got works in it that are missing in the Wikipedia list of Requiems.

[John Hudock]

I did include things that were not strict requiems (such as the Kilar Father Kolbe Requiem, which is not even a choral work). And if the list were limited to things that strictly used the Requiem text or slight variants then even things like the Brahms German Requiem (as would the wonderful and virtually unknown Marini requiem) would drop off. But I tried to be as exhaustive as possible. As I said I love requiems for the very personal nature and so I include everything the composer decided to call Requiem rather than stick to some strict definition. Frequently as moving and personal as requiems, Stabat Maters are another favorite of mine - for another thread.

[Yavar Moradi]

No special * for the Dvorak? I think it's incredible!

Yavar

[John Hudock]

No special * for the Dvorak? I think it's incredible!

I think it's incredible too, as I do many of the pieces  (although I think the Stabat Mater is the greater piece). I just quickly starred a few that struck me immediately.

I am still surprised that no one has responded with some suggested additions. Do I have recordings of every worthwhile requiem in existence? Come on folks, I was depending on this super knowledgeable group to point me to something new!

[Peter1953]

I'm sorry John, but Requiems are not to my taste... Your list looks very impressive.
In fact, I've got only one, and that is, surprise surprise, Ein Deutsches Requiem. The first half of the 2nd movement... just heavenly beautiful.

[gentile]

John, here are some further options that you may add to your list:

Marct-Antoine DÉSAUGIERS (1739-1793) Requiem
Sigurd Islandsmoen (1881-1964) Requiem
Oskar LINDBERG (1887-1955) Requiem Op.21
Cyrillus KREEK (1889-1962) Reqiem in C minor
Fernando LOPES-GRAÇA (1906-1994) Requiem (for the victism of fascisms in Portugal)
Xavier BENGUEREL (1931-) Requiem (in memoriam S. Espriu)
Philip LEDGER (1937-)  Requiem. A thanksgiving for life
Igor KULJERIC (1938-) Croatian Glagolitic requiem


All of them are "regular" Requiems (large choral works setting the Latint text of the Mass for the Dead, except for the last which sets an ancient slavonic version) and, moreover, all of them have been recorded and issued on CD. From those still unrecorded, I have been long awaiting that cpo or another enterprising label goes for Kurt Atterberg's Requiem. Finally, for those (few) of you still keeping faith on contemporary composer, I would suggest a hearing of the stunning third movement (setting the text of the Dies Irae) of the second symphony (Morgenrot) of Piet SWERTS (1960-).

[John Hudock]

Gentile,

Thanks! Those are all new to me (both the requiems and the composers except for Lindberg and Ledger).

I too would love a recording of the Atterberg requiiem. I am a very big fan of his symphonies, concertos, orchestral suites and chamber works, but I have never heard any of his choral music and a recording of his requiem would be a welcome addition to the catalogue.

[John Hudock]

I've just come across a requiem for large orchestra, chorus and soloists from 1974 by Jean Daetwyler. I am not familiar with the composer or the work except for this entry on French wikipedia:

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Requiem_pour_les_temps_atomiques

My French is pretty much limited to menu selection, but I can pretty much make out the basics. I can find no recording of it though.

Here is more info about the composer:

http://www.jeandaetwyler.ch/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=70

[Marcus]

Hello John Hudock,
Just a few more Requiems, all on Cd from Records International (USA): (most would qualify for your list)
I am listing the composers, and you can access the website if interested :
P.Sculthorpe (b1929), J.H.Schmelzer (1620-80),Luciano Sumoni (b1938),Cyrillus Creek (1889-1962),S.Kuran (1955-2005),Abbe J.B.Vogler (1789-1914), L.Maeder (18th-19thc),J.S.Zelenka (1679-1745),J.A.Hasse (1699-1783),S.Moryto (b1947),B.A.Zimmermann (1918-1970),F.Gotschalk (17 ?-1809),H.D.Koppel (1908-1978),E.Zeisl (1905-59),J.Ryu (b1970), K.Lendvay (b1928), J.M.Kraus (1756-92), P.Nogradi (b1952), J.Gilles (1688-1708), P.Rimonte (1565-1627),L.Kulakowski (b1955), A.Melani (1639-1703), D.Allanbrook (1921-2003) (Symphony no2), D.Kabalevsky (1904- 87), Symphony no3 in B flat op22 Requiem for Lenin (CPO).
Also E. Reznicek (1860-1945) wrote a Requiem, and I am sure it has been recorded. (possibly by Hungaraton ?)
Marcus.

[John Hudock]

Marcus,

Thanks for those. I have recordings of the two Zelenka requiems, the Gilles, Hasse, Kabalevsky. The Gilles is a very old favorite and I love the Zelenka and Hasse as well. The Kabalevsky is a big, theatrical piece as I recall, it's been awhile since I last listened to it. 

But the rest are new to me. I am a big fan of Sculthorpe's music as well as Reznicek's, so I look forward to finding those recordings. Except for Kraus and Zimmerman, the other composers you list are completely unfamiliar to me, but I look forward to searching out those recordings as well.

[jimmosk]

I recently came across the 1941 Requiem of Desire Emile Inghelbrecht (1880 - 1965), which despite being written at a nightmarish period in history is one of the most serene works I know.

And, John... you might want to sit down before you click this link: http://www.requiemsurvey.org/

-J

--
Jim Moskowitz
The Unknown Composers Page:  http://kith.org/jimmosk/TOC.html
My latest list of unusual classical CDs for auction:  http://tinyurl.com/jimmosk

[John Hudock]

Thanks Jim for the Inghelbrecht and the link. 4144 requiems by 2546 composers! That will take me awhile to collect! It never ceases to amaze me what is available on the internet.

[John H White]

Cherubini's first  setting of the Requiem Mass in C minor was much admired by Berlioz, his most difficult pupil and seems to have influenced certain passages in the choral finale of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, whose composer regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries.
   By the way, many so-called requiems have nothing to do with the liturgy of the Catholic Church, but that does not stop them from being fine choral works in their own right.

[John Hudock]

In scanning some random entries from the requiem survey Jim referenced above, I came across a Requiem for Rossini by Antonio Buzzola, whose piano sonatas Marcus recently had kind words for, and others (a composite work like the Hexamaron).  Buzzola just composed the requiem and kyrie. Other composers (including Verdi) did other parts.  A recording by Helmuth Rilling is available on  Hannsler.