What is a Requiem?
A Requiem is essentially a mass for the dead. The
ceremony is usually celebrated in context with a funeral
within the Roman Catholic Church, though similar
ceremonies exist within other denominations. The
Requiem Mass (typically performed in Latin) is notable
for all of the musical compositions it has inspired; over
2,000 Requiem compositions have been composed to
date.
What are the parts of a Requiem Mass?
The Requiem texts typically set to music are the
following:
Introit – Requiem aeternam (“Rest eternal” -Mass
formulas are known by the first text in the Introit. Thus
a Mass for the dead is referred to a Requiem Mass.)
Kyrie eleison - (“Lord have mercy” – the only part of the
mass to be sung in Greek. The biblical roots of this
prayer first appear in 1 Chronicles 16:34.)
Gradual - a name given to a vocal piece that is often
sung by a chorale while standing on steps in a church
Tract – (“Forgive us our sins, O Lord,” obviously a
preoccupation with the need to purify oneself prior to
entering the next world.)
Sequence (i.e., Dies Irae) – (“Day of Wrath” - The Dies
iræ is a personal meditation on the Gospel for the First
Sunday of Advent, Luke xxi.25-36, and its first liturgical
use was probably for that day. The Dies iræ has no real
place in the mass, however, a requiem mass is often
personalized and the wildly graphic imagery of the Dies
iræ makes it a favorite.)
Offertory – (A method of prayer which helps the dead
and benefits the living by reminding them to prepare
for death.)
Sanctus - (The doxology praising God’s holiness.)
Agnus Dei – (“Lamb of God” – invocation of the Lamb of
God beseeching His mercy. It appears in John 1:29,
where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.")
Communion – (sharing of the bread and wine.)
Pie Jesu - (“Merciful Lord Jesus” – a petition addressed
to the Lord Jesus Christ in favor of the dead.)
Libera Me – ("Deliver me" - a Roman Catholic response
that is sung during the absolution of the dead, a service
of prayers for the dead said beside the coffin
immediately after the Requiem Mass and before burial.
The text of Libera Me asks God to have mercy upon the
deceased person at the Last Judgment.)
Valedictio - In paradisum (“Into paradise” - The “fare
thee well” of the mass. This is sung in procession on the
way from the final blessing of the corpse in church to
the graveyard where burial takes place.)
About Gabriel Fauré
Gabriel Fauré lived from 1845 till 1924. He was born in
the south of France. Notable works include his Pavane,
Requiem, nocturnes for piano and the songs "Après un
rêve" and "Clair de lune". The Requiem was written in
1888 - 1890. In 1924 the Requiem, in its full orchestral
version, was performed at Fauré's own funeral. Fauré
himself said of the work, "Everything I managed to
entertain by way of religious illusion I put into my
Requiem, which moreover is dominated from beginning
to end by a very human feeling of faith in eternal rest."
He told an interviewer, "It has been said that my
Requiem does not express the fear of death and
someone has called it a lullaby of death. But it is thus
that I see death: as a happy deliverance, an aspiration
towards happiness above, rather than as a painful
experience.”
Fauré’s Requiem is comprised of the following texts:
I. Introit & Kyrie*
II. Offertory
III. Sanctus
IV. Pie Jesu*
V. Agnus Dei
VI. Libera Me*
VII. In Paradisum*
*denotes movements that will be sung by the
Community Baptist Church Adult Choir
Community Baptist Church
Adult Choir
Sopranos: Amy McDowell, Lou Williams,
Mary Wrye, Alex Wilkison**
Altos: Suzanne Chambliss**, Christine
Cornelius, Nora Hobson, Sybil Keach,
Gail Grimes
Tenors: Rick Cox, Jim Fuller, Mark
Hobson, Matt Hummel**
Baritones/Basses: John Cornelius, Bob
Crafton, Jeremiah Kenoyer**,
Austin Tenbarge**
Soprano Solist: Alex Wilkison
Baritone Soloist: Jeremiah Kenoyer
Pianist: Jica Crafton
Director: Summer Bennett
** denotes Special Guest
