Zoey Yang

590:221 Music Research and Bibiliography

December, 10, 2009

Final Paper

Issues about Brahms’s Requiem

When we mention nineteenth century music, the first genre that comes to mind is

probably opera. Opera is the synonym of nineteenth century music. It should attribute to opera

composers Rossini, Wagner and Verdi’s contribution. Especially Wagner, his brass music and

the tangle of opera plot’s theme--love and hate, life and death was extremely popular in the

nineteenth century. It is the same situation when people talk about symphony. The name

Beethoven will come out quickly from our mouths without thinking. Except the opera,

instrumental music is the other important type of music in the Romantic period. The main

composers of this genre are Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Mendelssohn and so on. There is

one type of style that seems to be forgotten or omitted by people at this time---sacred music.(a)

Sacred music has a long musical history that was popular in the middle age and

Renaissance and began to decline in the Baroque period. I want to talk about one of type of

sacred music—requiem in the nineteenth century, especially Brahms’s requiem. Traditional

requiems were composed in Latin, and typically have at least seven movements: Requiem

aeterna--- Kyrie eleison--- Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)--- Domine Jesu Christe (Lord Jesus

Christ)--- Sanctus (Holy)--- Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)---Lux aeterna (Eternal light)--- Libera me

(Deliver me).1 But Brahms’s requiem is different from this traditional form.(b)

1
"Requiem," The Oxford Dictionary of Music, 2nd rev., ed. Michael Kennedy, Oxford Music Online,
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/opr/t237/e8452 (accessed February 19, 2010).

1
 Brahms was the last classical composer in the nineteenth century with a significant

impact on Germany musical history. He was regarded as a “retro” musician of nineteenth century

romanticism. His works were with both classical and romantic in musical traits and spirit.

Brahms’s Requiem op. 45 was composed between 1865 and 1867 with the fifth movement (“Ihr

habt nun Traurigkeit”) added in 1868. This sacred work was composed for chorus, soloists and

orchestra, and was considered the most important of Brahms’s choral works. This piece attracted

me. I could not connect this piece with its name Requiem together. Requiem music should be a

sad, kind of dark color serious music to me, but this piece is so beautiful, attractive, and peaceful.

Under the shadow of colorful and heavy opera music in the nineteenth century, this Requiem is a

unique work.(c)

The musical scholars’ discussions about this piece were not few. Most of these issues

were about the tradition of it, especially the text chosen and language setting. Some people

argued that the text of it came from the point of view of the Catholic tradition of the Latin

Requiem Mass, but the entire work had no relationship with Catholic tradition.2 With the issue of

German language in this piece, musical scholars were suspicious of Brahms’s requiem for long

time.(d)

This Requiem’s content came from the The Bible, which was translated into German

language by Martin Luther. Brahms picked up 15 passages from them himself, and Brahms

rearranged them too. The content of this requiem no longer followed the liturgical purpose

requirements for the specific forms of typical requiems about the lyric and emotion on each

movement. In this way, this requiem discarded the fixed model of Latin Bible verses under the

control of Catholic doctrine. Instead, the ritual and religious elements in this piece seem to focus

2
Robin A. Leaver, “Brahms’s op. 45 and German Protestant Funeral Music,” The Journal of Musicology
19, no. 4 (Autumn 2002): 616.

2
more on humanity, and are more suitable to livings. Musical scholar Michael Musgrave stated

“Brahms did not seek to take his subject from any one part of the Bible or topic within it…

Rather he relates his sources to themes of his own and creates a uniquely personal, non-dogmatic

sequence of thoughts.”3 Non-denominational meaning of this Requiem let it extend beyond the

borders of organized religion. People without religious sentiment also could sing and understand

this piece. So this requiem was honored as “human requiem”. (e)

John Daverio explained that most requiem contents focused on extolling the soul of the

dead people and praising the virtue of them, Brahms’s Requiem paid more attention to the

survivors, and consolation. In order to do this, Brahms did not simply change the text from Latin

to German, but also changed the original sources and meanings. Traditional requiems focus on

the dead people, while grieving them. For example in Mozart’s requiem, the III movement, Oro

supplex et acclinis, Cor contritum quasi cinis, Gere curam mei finis (I pray in supplication on my

knees, My heart contrite as the dust, Safeguard my fate)4 demonstrated the traditional emphasis

on grief and consolation. However, Brahms took care of the living survivors too in his Requiem.

In the sixth movement of this piece, the text is: und die Toten warden auferstehen unverweslich,

und wir warden verwandelt warden. Dann wird erfullet warden (And the dead shall be raised

incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Then shall be fulfilled).5 This example showed Brahms’s

care about dead people and survivors together.(f)

Differences from the traditional type of requiem also occurs on the level. This requiem

has 7 movements but they are not the expected standard type.

I. Selig sind, die da Leid tragen (Blessed are they that have sorrow) ---F major

II. Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras ( For all flesh is as grass) --- Bb major

3
Michael Musgrave, Brahms: A German Requiem (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 19.
4
Find Mozart requiem CD .
5
Ibid. 18.

3
 III. Herr, lehre doch mich (Lord, let me know) ---D minor (for baritone solo, chorus

and orchestra)

IV. Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen (How lovely are your dwellings)---D major

V. Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit (You now have sorrow) ---F major (for soprano solo,

chorus and orchestra)

VI. Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt (For we have no abiding city)---A

major

VII. Selig sind die Toten(Blessed are the dead)---F major(g)

The comforting idea was like the second line of the text in the first movement (Selig sind,

die da Leid tragen) and the last two lines of the text in fifth movement (Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit).

Consolation to the dead people was obvious to see, like the last two sentences of the second

movement (Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras): “they shall obtain joy and gladness and pain and

suffering shall flee away.”6 (h)

Daniel Beller-Mckenna’s opinion “…Any requiem, be it memorial or redemptive in

nature, must partake in an act of recollection.” This requiem did this point. Remembrance idea

was indeed an important component of this requiem, and it let audience to recall the dead people

by Brahms’s composition methods, like the key changing, lyric content, character, and

cooperation of tonality and text. (i)

Brahms is not the first composer who chose text from Luther’s works instead of Latin of

the Requiem Mass for requiem music type. There are already two famous composers who did

same things before Brahms. Robin A. Leaver provided us a good essay, which is called

Brahms’s op. 45 and German Protestant Funeral Music7(don’t need citation) about this issue.

6
Musgrave, 16.
7
Musgrave, 616.

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Under the influence of Luther’s revolution, many composers combined different music settings

with the same texts of Luther’s writing for funerary use. Brahms and Heinrich Schutz, who is

Brahms’s precursor, shared the same text on their own requiems, even though they are 200 years

apart. Heinrich Schutz, a German composer and organist (1585-1672), wrote a requiem in

German in 1636 which is called Musikalische Exequiem.8 Brahms learned a lot from this work. It

had 6 movements. This requiem was written for Schutz’s friend Duke in German language.

Before Duke died, he had already arranged the text of his funeral requiem…9 Because he was a

Lutheran, the text he chose for his own requiem came from an anthology. So this anthology’s

Biblical texts are similar to Lutheran’s burial hymns in 1542. One line of Schutz’s requiem lyric

“Selig sind die Toten” was used by Brahms in his requiem at the seventh movement. Another

Brahms’s precursor, Franz Schubert also wrote a requiem called the Deutsches Requiem in

German around 1818. This piece was composed for chorus and organ. It is composed of five

sections. The piece was actually composed by France Schubert only to help his brother to get a

position. Yet later it was recognized as Schubert’s own composition. Thus we could see from the

text of Requiem that Brahms has inherited German composers’ characteristics. (j,语法已改，内

容已改)

Robert Schumann, a well-known German composer also known as Brahms’s friend, did

not use Latin Mass resource as his requiem works’ text either. Brahms explained his attraction to

the Bible text for this requiem, “It was Schumann who first aroused my interest in the Holy Writ.

Schumann was always quoting the Bible”.10 Thus we could find many similarities between

Brahms’s Requiem and Schumann’s. They both wrote their requiem works at the period when

8
Leaver, 619.
9
Leaver, 619.
10
John, Daverio, Crossing Paths: Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms (New York: Oxford University Press,
2002), 185.

5
their composing careers are fully developed as well as composition styles entirely mature.

Schumann (1810-1856) composed several requiems such as Requiem fur Mignon, op. 98b in

1849; Altkatholisches Gedicht op. 90, no. 7 in 1850 and Requiem in D-flat op. 148 in 1852.

Brahms, died in 1897, composed his German Requiem in 1865 when he was 32 years old. Not

only do the two composers have the same habit of using bible resource for requiem, they also

have other similarities. (k 已改)

The resemblances between two composers’ requiem works are also shown on the tone,

character, and mood design.11 For example, the fifth movement of Schumann’s Requiem op. 148

was written for alto solo, chorus and orchestra in G major; the fifth movement of Brahms’s

requiem was written for soprano solo, chorus and orchestra in G major . Both the fifth

movements were written for similar objectives. What’s more, the same key, F major, was not

only designed for Schumann’s last movement in Requiem fur Mignon, op. 98a but also for

Brahms’s last movement in German Requiem. So we could see the huge influence of Robert

Schumann on Brahms. (l,已改。再加几句，太短)

Brahms’s choice of German language, which is Brahms and Schumann’s native

language, is in accordance with his friend Schumann’s will. According to Michael Musgrave’s

book Brahms, A German Requiem, “Schumann…noted the idea of a ‘German Requiem’ as a

future project, wrote all his German ‘oratorios’ to secular texts, including his Requiem for

Mignon, taken from Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister.”12 Unfortunately, although Schumann finished

his Requiem for Mignon, op.98, he did not accomplish his will of a German language requiem in

the end. This issue was also shown on Grove Music Online. From this article Brahms, Johannes,

we could see that Brahms’s Requiem was under his Schuman’s will to “direct his magic wand

11
Ibid., 187.
12
Musgrave, Brahms: A German Requiem, 3.

6
where the massed forces of chorus and orchestra may lend him their power.” 13 Both Brahms

and Schumann loved their country, Germany. Because of this love, Brahms decided to express

his emotion to his country in a more direct and familiar way by using his vernacular language,

German language. However, in fact Brahms was not the first man who wrote the requiem in

German. Heinrich Schutz had written a requiem in German almost two hundred years before

Braham’s birth. Thus Brahms was just inheriting Schutz’s idea. Thus from the perspective of

language setting and text resource, it is obvious that Brahms’s Requiem composing style is

actually quite traditional. (m 已改)

Beside the language and text, Brahms’s traditional composing style can also be

discovered from composition technique. Michael Musgrave analyzed Brahms’s requiem and

considered that “[it] spans a period from the Renaissance to Beethoven and to Brahms’s

immediate predecessors.”14 From his statement, we could image how Musgrave like this piece,

and how traditional this piece is. In this requiem, the counterpoint technique was used well in the

third movement. This technique was publicly recognized as a mainly used approach by Johann

Sebastian Bach and other forerunners of German sacred music. Brahms himself hinted that the

entire work was based on the melody of Bach’s chorale Wer nur den lieben Gott last walten.15

Example 1 comes from one of Bach’s earliest funerary cantatas, Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste

Zeit (God’s time is the best time). As mentioned in Leaver’s research, the example shows the

similarity between Bach’s Cantata 27 and Brahms’s op. 45.16 Brahms’s tendency and rhythm of

melody development resembled those of Bach in this phrase, especially in the soprano part.

13
George S. Bozarth and Walter Frisch, "Brahms, Johannes," Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online,
http://0www.oxfordmusiconline.com.unistar.uni.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/51879pg10 (accessed Dec.11,
2009).
14
Michael Musgrave, The Music of Brahms (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), 79.
15
Ibid., 79.
16
Leaver, 621.

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 We could see all requiems from Brahms, Bach and Heinrich Schutz are consistent with

Lutheran culture and tradition or written in German language. Three musicians’ funeral pieces

were comprised of the sequence of Biblical texts and Lutheran chorales in different approach.

Brahms’s requiem not only resembled his friend Schumann’s works, but also resembled the

works of earlier German composers like Schutz, Bach, and Schubert. From the perspective of

music composition, Brahms absorbed Bach’s counterpoint approach, and innovated something

new based on this traditional method. For instance, Brahms successfully applied baritone and

soprano soloists together in this requiem. It was a unique format in comparison to the traditional

requiem singing forms. This singing formality would help future composers to innovate chorus

in the church and provide them new idea. (o 已改)

(Conclusion: )Overall, in my opinion, even though some scholars think that Brahms’s

Requiem was not traditional German requiem, I insisted that his Requiem is actually consistent

with German tradition. Someone might argue that Brahms did not use liturgical Latin text.

However, he was not the only one who did not use Latin text. As I discussed earlier, Bach and

Schutz used Luther’s text in their funeral music, and so did Brahms. Martin Luther made the

materials a new, biblical form. Lutherans, Martin Luther’s followers, later collected anthologies

of Biblical texts about death and dying. The text of Brahms’s Requiem was chosen from Luther’s

materials. He did some change on Biblical verses himself. (p 已改)

Part II

The phenomena of musical allusion usually appeared in composers’ works. It was also

applied in Brahms Requiem. Idée fixe belongs to musical allusion. It was firstly used by Berlioz

in Fantastique, which is a typical program music. Idée fixe musical method was accepted and

used widely by composers in romantic musical period. The usage of a person’s name as a

8
musical motive or subject, I think, is one kind of idée fixe technique. The fixed theme refers to a

certain person. This idée fixe was the forerunner of Wagner’s leitmotif technique in the late

Romantic Period. Robert Schumann was one of these composers who like to use idée fixe

technique. His frequently usage of idée fixe in “Clara Theme” was recognized widely in 19th

century musical world. (q 已改)

Clara’s name was used by her husband Robert Schumann as a musical motive. This

motive was recognized as “Clara theme” by musical scholars. The first place where Schumann

used “Clara theme” to refer to his wife Clara Schumann was in his work No. 4 Symphony, which

also gave this symphony another name called Clara Symphony. When Schumann was writing

this symphony he was not yet married to Clara. This theme was a phrase of five notes: C Bb A

G # A, which spells Clara’s name (see Example 2). The note Bb stands for the letter L. The note

G# stands for the letter R. From then on, Schumann used this “Clara theme” frequently in his

subsequent works, such as Symphony no. 2, in C major, op. 61. Example 3 comes from this

work. In the example, from the third measure, the first note Eb, and with subsequent four notes

including D, C, B, C, five notes compose the Clara name theme. Brahms, as a friend of

Schumann, who was in love with Clara, used Clara theme motive in his works such as his piano

quartet op. 60. In example 4, the Clara name theme starts from the note E in the third measure,

and then goes through the end of the example. (r 已改)

I am not sure whether or not Dmitrievich Shostakovich, twentieth century composer, was

inspirited by this Schumann’s technique. However his approach of using a name as a musical

motive was the same. The abbreviation of Shostakovich’s full name is DSCH. Shostakovich used

notes D Eb C B in his work String quartet no. 8 to represent DSCH, where the note Eb stands for

letter S, the note B stands for H. This motive, to Shostakovich, was the soul of this whole piece.

9
It was played many times in the first movement by each instrument, and was applied a lot with

variations in the later movements. It served various functions within different movements.

Sometimes it functions as the main theme, and sometimes it functions as a connection resource.

Overall, the usage of this name motive made this piece a unique and logical entity. I think this

motive was one of the idée fixe motive important functions. It endues the piece with the unique

trait and meaning, and unifies the whole piece with reasonable logic. (s 已改)

The research of Clara musical symbol was valuable, and deserved to be put into musical

history. Clara Schumann inspirited two composers, Robert Schumann and Brahms, in the

nineteenth century Romantic period. She provided them with nature musical source. With the

help of this musical symbol, two composers’ music is full of human emotion and extra meaning.

(t)

Besides Clara’s name theme, there was another musical motive related to Clara

Schumann. James John named this motive “Clara emblem” (Example 5).17 Robert Schumann

used this musical symbol as early as 1836, in his work Fantasy, op. 17. The motive was at the

right hand area of piano, the upper section. It starts from the third beat, note G in eight-note at

the first measure, to the second beat, note E, in the third measure. The long phrase was covered

by a ligature. The phrase of Clara emblem motive includes two kinds of intervals: a fourth

interval with small leap that was from dominant degree note G to tonic degree note C; several

second intervals. These two kinds of intervals were the main body of the motive. Brahms used

this motive as well as its various form such as retrograde form in his Requiem. (u 已改)

Actually Schumann used the melody from Beethoven’s song cycle An die Geliebte, op.

98 as a symbol for Clara (Example 6).18(解释例子) The musical symbol of Clara emblem was
17
James John, “Brahms and the ‘Clara Emblem’: Musical Allusion as a Key to Understanding to Thematic
Sources at the Heart of ‘Ein deutches Requiem’,” Choral Journal 44, no. 5 (December 2003): 16.
18
Eric Sams, “Brahms and His Clara Themes,” The Musical Times 112, no. 1539 (May 1971): 432.

10
frequently used by Schumann and was widely recognized. We knew that Schumann’s music had

deeply influenced Brahmas not only in musical style and music language, but also in musical

symbol application. Brahms knew this musical symbol meaning, and learned this method form

his friend. As a result of Schumann’s influence in musical symbolic composition method,

Brahms used this symbol method of musical composition in his own music. For instance,

Brahms B major Piano Trio, op. 8, finale; (Example 7 解释例子); Schaffe in mir Gott op. 29, no.

2, final movement, mm81-84.( Example 8 解释例子, 最后一句话没有谓语。已改).(v)

Example 9 is at the beginning part of the vocal section in the first movement of Brahms’s

Requiem. There are two sentences in this example, measure 1-4 and measure 5-9. In Soprano

line, the first phrase starts from note F, the tonic of the F major key. In the second measure, there

is a fourth interval slight leap to the highest note of this phrase D, subtonic note. The second

phrase starts from measure 5. The dominant C firstly jumps up to the tonic F in measure 6, and

then gradually goes down to the note C (we could neglect the note E at measure 6 I bracketed in

the score). (w 已改)

The fifth movement was for Soprano Solo and Choir. The example 10 is measure16-20

of this movement. The movement starts from strings part. After three measures, Soprano comes

in. At the last beat of measure 18, choir comes in with Soprano solo. By looking at the measure

19, D major key could be seen because of the temporary sharpness of the note C in choir parts. In

the same measure, the Soprano line within choir part jumps a fourth-interval from the note A to

the note D, then goes back to the first note of the 19 measure A at the first beat of measure 20.

Clara emblem was employed by Brahms in variations. (x 例子再解释， 已改)

The third movement starts with Bariton Solo in F major. At measure 164, the key

changes to D major. At the position of measure173, music turns to fugue texture section. Clara

11
emblem is a prominent motive in this fugue section. It is the main character of the fugue subject.

The subject is performed four times according to the order of Tenor, Auto, Soprano, and bass.

Looking at the example 11, we could find Clara emblem in retrograde form. I have already

circled each emblem on scores. The Clara emblem starts at the last beat of measure 173 with note

D in tenor voice, where I marked as “1st time subject” on scores, and then it jumps up to G in the

next measure. The subject goes downward at this measure, from G, F#, E, D, to the C#. The

subject is repeated at mm. 175, 178, 180 (all have been marked on scores). From these three

musical examples, we could realize that this Clara emblem is employed at the first, third and fifth

movements of Brahms’s Requiem, and is also considered as a prominent thematic source within

this the third movement. I think this emblem was also used in other sections, and needs to be

found out in the further. Thus we can see the importance of emblem in this piece. It is not just a

So we see this emblem was important in this piece, not just a common musical phrase happened

by accident. (y)

On the other hand, we could finound other clues from the letters between Brahms and

Clara to indicates that Brahms use Clara emblem on purpose to refer to Clara Schumann.

between Brahms and Clara musical motive—Brahms and Clara’s letters. From theAccording to

the letter Brahms wrote to Clara Schumann ofin 24 April 1865,19 Brahms wrote to Clara

Schumann, Brahms told Clara and told her that he was composing a choral piece called —A

German Requiem, op. 45, he also and mentioned the second and fourth movement of it. To show

Clara the work he was working on, Brahms also attached two passages of the Requiem text in the

letter from. Part of the context of the text that Brahms sent to Clara is shown as following., and

wanted her to read them.

19
Johannes Brahms, Life and Letters, ed. Styra Avins, trans. Josef Eisinger and Styra Avins (New York:
Oxford University Press, 1997), 321.

12
 Blessed are they that mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

They that sow in tears

Shall reap in joy.

They go forth and weep,

And bear precious seed

And come joyfully

Bearing their sheaves.

And from Clara’s responresponse by then was thatded “the chorus form the Requiem pleases me

very much, it must sound beautiful…”20 From their letters, we know that , during this requiem’s

composition, Clara and Brahms were contactinged each other with thoughts and ideas about this

requiem. Brahms usually asked Clara’s opinions about the text, and expressed his affection to

them. It means that Brahms cared about Clara’s ideas and thoughts., and Hhe wanted her to

appreciate the text attached together with himin the same way he did. Since the two composers

had frequently talkeddiscussed about the piece, the it is really not surprising probability that

Brahms used Clara emblem as a musical motive in this requiem was big. There is another

background story about this issuepiece. When Hermann Deiters, who was closed to both

Schumann and Brahms, explained the reason why the fifth movement was added to the Requiem

after completionlater than complete, he thought that Brahms was ‘thinking of her’ in this

passage. andHis explanation is not contradicted by Clara Schumann’s comment that ‘we all

20
Musgrave, Brahms: A German Requiem, 5.

13
think he wrote it in her memory though he has never expressly said so’.21 This information makes

me more confessed.(z)

In addition, the application of Clara emblem in this piece has another explanation.

Brahms was the godfather ofto Felix Schumann, who died around the period ofwhen Brahms

was still in the process of composing this Requiemthis requiem’s composition. Clara described

Felix was as the “youngest and most gifted Schumann child… [Who] had inherited his father’s

literary and musical ability.”22 Because the deathd of Felix Schumann, both of Brahms and Clara,

especially Clara Schumann, were in bad mood. emotion, especially Clara Schumann, Clara she

suffered a big bitter that she could notmuch more than she could bear mentally. So Thus a few

scholars thought that there is was some memorialy element of Felix Schumann existinged within

Brahms’s requiem. Although I am not sure about this Felix Schumann commemorative motive, I

know that but this kind of sad emotion will definitely influenced Brahms and that and Brahms

couldwould express his sad feelings inwithin the requiem through the application of Clara

emblem motive.(a1)

The respectful ideas was have always been expressed by Brahms in his works. We know

that Brahms learned a lot from his predecessor Beethoven who came from the same country,

Germany. to Brahms. Brahms wrote a symphony, C major Symphony, to called “Beethoven

Symphony” or “No. 10 Symphony” in memorial ofof Beethoven. Schumann and Brhams , are

composers are at the same historical period with similar composition style and artistic expression

and taste. And Schumann’s composition methods had deeply influenced Brahms. So And in

Brahms’s this requiem, he used the melody to Schumann op. 24, in order to memoryrecall his

teacherfriend. Schuman has ever also wrote requiem piece. Thus , and two both composers had

21
Florence May, The Life of Brahms, 2nd ed. (London: 1948), vol. I, 374.
22
Nancy B. Reich, Clara Schumann: The Artist and Woman (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1985), 170.

14
written wrote their requiems at their late years when, and their composition styles areare mature

enough with rich experience in technique as well as life. After1846, Schumann was 36 years old

at 1846,, and By the time hhe died at 1856, he had writtenote several choral pieces such as :

Missa Sacra, op. 147, ; Requiem, op. 148 and another requiem called Altkatholisches Gedicht op.

90, no. 7 at 1850. Brahms composed his A German Requiem at1865, when he was 32 years old. ,

and Hhe passed awaysdied in 1897. (b1)

At first Actually I was am not sure that the application usage of Clara Emblem in this

piece was an intenintentionally ded arranged by Brahms at first. The appearance of this theme

was not very clearl.y, Aand this theme was not only sang performed or played a lota few times

through the whole piece. Maybe the application of Clara emblem here’s application above was

just a coincidence, or the phrases related to Clara that I analyzed were the common music

phrases without other meaning we put on.(c1)

Brahms has also written some pieces about Beethoven and Schumann. From the those

pieces wrote by Brahms about Beethoven and Schumann, one can tell that Brahms has a habit of

expressing his respectful feelings to people he admire in his music. the practice of expressing the

emotion to the respectful persons in the music was a habit of Brahmans. And withby judging

from the letters between Brahms and Clara, I conceded that Clara Theme, to a large extent, was

used by Brahms in this Requiem intentionally to express his emotion affection to Clara

Schumann. (d1)

With During the same period of Brahms’s requiem, the 19th century Romantic musical

time , Italian composer Verdi’s requiem was also highly praised for his excellence in requiem

compositionin 19th century Romantic musical time. As In accordance with the conventional

tradition, this requiem was a musical setting forof the Roman Catholic funeral Mass, and the

15
Mass. The piece was firstly performed in a church for a liturgical ceremony. Comparing to

Brahms’s requiem , Tthis requiem had has the same structure . to Brahms’s requiem that it It was

is also comprised composed of seven movements including: Requiem Requiem, Dies irae,

Offertory, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Lux aeterna and Libera me. There is an interesting fact about this

issue. The interesting thing was: There is another the other 19th century’s requiem called: Gabriel

Faure’s requiem in D minor, op. 48. It is also comporised of seven movements : Introitincluding

Introit et Kyrie, Offertoire, Sanctus, Pie Jesu, Agnus Dei et Lux Aeterna, Libera me, In

Paradisum. DoesCould this phenomenon is be a coincidence? All Tthree composers admitted

that they had made the reference to Mozart’s requiem., but Wwe knoew that there are were

twelve movements in Mozart’s requiem. , not seven movements. But seven movements were

logical number for a piece.(e1)However, there are only seven movements in a traditional

requiem.

The other interesting thing fact to me was that : Brahms’s requiem was queried because

of lyric content choice.; Verdi’s requiem was also queried because of music style.(f1)

Braham’s requiem, the content of which had littleess association with liturgical, which

caused a controversy in music history. But Now let us escape ignore this content problem for a

while , and turned tospend some time on the piece’s composition aspect. The music composition

style was suitable to church musical style, and it was also correspond toconsistent the criterion

for of sacred music. The mMusical language was classical. ; Tthe harmony choice was not

with Romantic period chromatics trait. , and Tthe harmony changing paces were slow, and

this harmonic frequencywhich was different from Brahms’s lied music style. ; TRhythm, the

rhythm setting of this piece was conventional, and thereconventional. There was not much

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syncopation rhythm or small notes with strong motivimotivationty, and. Tthe rhythm’s changing

frequency of changing was also seemly slow, and yet stable. (g1)

Orchestration in this piece servesd as a big piano accompaniment, .a nd orchestraIt did

dose not develop its power a lot, the orchestra. Its instruments mostly playsed the harmony

chords with notes of the same length same notes, and. Tthere was less few or no instrument solo,

. or withNot many long phrase of melody could be obviously and clearly to come outheard from

the vocal parts. The dynamics contrast of orchestra was is also not limited too. Texture,

tAlthough the Texture was is rich of diversification, each layer does not contradict with each

other. And the all the layers sound like a whole clear entity. All musical elements of this piece

were more classical instead of romantic. Except lyric problem, the music parts are absolutely in

accordance with church musical style. It makes people to think about the peace, god and

paradise.(h1)

Verdi’s requiem, with the lyric content directly derived from Roman Catholic materials,

does not include traditional church music style. This work is arranged for a large orchestra

setting: 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 4 bassoon, 4 horns, 8 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba,

timpani, bass drum and strings. The size of orchestra setting was very large for a sacred piece.

Even for a symphony or opera, it was still quite a huge orchestra organization. Verdi used this

large size orchestra, obviously, to emphasis the function and the role of orchestra in this requiem.

For vocal part, he sets a quartet of solo singers (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and bass) and

chorus. So the solo singers’ part not only makes the vocal part more colorful and gorgeous, but

also provides the music with more vocal layers and rich sonority.(i1)

The debate about Verdi’s requiem was similar to Brahms’s. People are usually discussing

whether Verdi’s requiem is traditional and whether it qualifies as a church song. There were

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soloists, a bass drum in this piece. However, some of these elements, especially bass drum were

excluded in church songs normally. A controversy about Verdi’s requiem was about whether the

Requiem is ‘operatic’ or not. In my opinion, Verdi’s requiem indeed included opera elements.

We know that he wrote 126 operas in his life, and that opera element was rooted in his music.

Thus the music with dramatic elements was one of Verdi’s musical characteristics. , I think it

was acceptable that he applied his opera elements in this requiem. After all, all composers have

their own music composition styles, even though their styles and composition ideas might

change in composers’ different life periods. But those composers’ main styles stay the same.

Thus there are some composers’ famous hallmarks, especially with nationalism folk tone

materials, that could always be recognized by people. (j1)

Like the arrangement of the first movement, mm. 78 (Example 12), the vocal part of the

moment before mm. 78 was sang by chorus. Starting from mm. 78, tenor solo comes in with very

clear and bright timbre sound. In the orchestra part, bassoon solo plays a chromatic melody form

G # down to the octave below B in mm. 81. This instrument melody is full of dramatic color. it

was the trait of 19th century romantic period music was chromaticism. This music mainly points

to chamber music, symphony, opera and lieder song genre. Sacred music was excluded here. (k1)

In the vocal part in mm. 78, tenor solo firstly comes in, and then, in mm. 82, bass solo

follows tenor solo and takes over the melody. In mm. 86, soprano solo joins in and takes over the

melody. In mm. 90, Mezzo-Soprano finally joins in the music too. This kind of melody

connection writing technique is an opera writing style, like the one in Mozart’s operas, and

inBellini’s opera Eurythane, the famous duet of two characters. From mm. 92, the music

becomes a complex fugue with some layers. Each layer was chromatically displayed. The motion

was kept increasing with the orchestra accompaniment. In mm. 95, orchestra pushes the music to

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form a great climax in “ff” dynamics which makes the emotion reach to a high point. In mm. 96,

all orchestra and vocal parts performs the first beat, and suddenly stop while violins line remains.

Violins plays staccato in the sixteenth note to form a nervous atmosphere.(L1)

All here, the writing styles of vocal part and orchestra part are similar to Verdi’s opera

writing style. In mm. 78, the arrangement of four solo singers coming in order was just like that

they are singing their own aria in the opera. Orchestra here builds an atmosphere for the whole

music to push the music to move on. (m1)

Even thought there are obvious opera elements in this requiem, we still cannot recognize

it as an opera. Opera needs a plot, some dialogues, and conflicts. These materials were lacked in

this requiem. David Rosen expressed his opinion in his book called Verdi requiem that although

the requiem can certainly be called ‘dramatic’ in the metaphorical sense of ‘forcefully effective’,

it would be difficult to consider it ‘dramatic’ in the more central and restricted sense of

resembling a literary drama.23(n1)

During the 19th century Romantic period, even though it seems that symphony and opera

mostly attracted people’s attention and sacred music in this historical period did not develop that

much, the publications of Brahms’s requiem and Verdi’s requiem were great evidences to change

people’s mind. These two requiem pieces, especially Brahms’s requiem, were different from

previous sacred music. We could see that during the development of sacred music, composers

usually tried to break out the rules and wanted to express their own thoughts and feelings using

their 19th century musical language such as Clara emblem method. No matter the significance of

Brahms’s requiem, it did not escape from people’s discussion and doubt. and I wrote this paper,

to express my opinion.(o1)

23
David Rosen, Verdi Requiem (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), 93.

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Example 1:

20
Example 2:

Example 3:

21
Example 4:

Example 5: ↓ ↓

Example 6:

22
Example 7:

Example 8:

Example 9:

23
Example 10:

24
Example 11:

25
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