Presentation Type
Oral/Paper Presentation
Abstract
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine – Grant them eternal rest, Lord. These five words make up one of the most well-known texts in the classical music canon: the Requiem Mass. Built on foundations laid by church composers such as Machaut, Dufay, and Palestrina, eighteenth and nineteenth century giants like Mozart, Berlioz, Verdi, and Brahms popularized the Requiem setting as a concert work. The twentieth and twenty-first centuries have seen compositions by Benjamin Britten, Gabriela Frank, and others, which include narrative elements in conjunction with the traditional Latin texts. My research on this topic explores how and why the Requiem Mass evolved from a Catholic funeral service to an expansive concert work for choir and orchestra. I will study representative requiem settings from the past and present to identify significant changes between compositions, including textual choices and changes, orchestration, form, non-liturgical texts, and non-Catholic or ecumenical religious affiliations.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Donna King
Recommended Citation
Butler, Thomas, "From Cathedral to Concert Hall: The Evolution of the Requiem Mass" (2025). Student Scholar Symposium. 28.
https://digitalcollections.lipscomb.edu/student_scholars_symposium/2025/Full_schedule/28
Included in
Musicology Commons, Music Performance Commons, Music Practice Commons, Music Theory Commons
From Cathedral to Concert Hall: The Evolution of the Requiem Mass
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine – Grant them eternal rest, Lord. These five words make up one of the most well-known texts in the classical music canon: the Requiem Mass. Built on foundations laid by church composers such as Machaut, Dufay, and Palestrina, eighteenth and nineteenth century giants like Mozart, Berlioz, Verdi, and Brahms popularized the Requiem setting as a concert work. The twentieth and twenty-first centuries have seen compositions by Benjamin Britten, Gabriela Frank, and others, which include narrative elements in conjunction with the traditional Latin texts. My research on this topic explores how and why the Requiem Mass evolved from a Catholic funeral service to an expansive concert work for choir and orchestra. I will study representative requiem settings from the past and present to identify significant changes between compositions, including textual choices and changes, orchestration, form, non-liturgical texts, and non-Catholic or ecumenical religious affiliations.