Compositional Techniques in Mozart's Requiem

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Compositional Techniques in Mozart's Requiem

In Roman Catholic tradition, the requiem mass is a ritual celebration of the Last Supper within the context of a funeral. The requiem mass is distinguished from masses for other occasions by the presence of a specific text, laid out in the missal of Pope St. Pius V from 1570, and the absence of the more joyful parts of mass, such as the Gloria, and the Credo (Cave).

The missal of Pope St. Pius V contains the prayers for all masses that would be conducted during the year in the Catholic Church. This was in accordance with the Council of Trent’s (1545-63) wishes that local variations on the mass would be halted and that a standardization of the mass be enforced (Wolff, 66). The missal requires that the musical portion of the requiem mass follow certain texts. Out of the ten sections listed in the missal, seven are most commonly put to music: the Introit, Kyrie, Sequence (Dies Irae), Offertory, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, and Communion. Composers over the centuries have decided to combine certain section, such as the Introit and the...

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