Mozart's unfinished Requiem has long been shrouded in mystery. Mozart undertook the commission for an Austrian nobleman, little knowing that he was to write a requiem for himself. Inevitably, the secrecy surrounding the anonymous commission, the circumstances of Mozart's death, the unfinished state of the work, and its completion under the direction of Mozart's widow, Constanze, have precipitated two centuries of romantic speculation and scholarly controversy.
Christoph Wolff provides a critical introduction to the Requiem in its many facets. Part I of his study focuses on the tangled genesis and completion of the work and its fascinating early reception history until Constanze's death. Wolff summarizes the current state of research on the subject, provides new perspectives on Mozart's conception of the whole work, and surveys his contributions to the movements composed posthumously by his assistant, Süssmayr. Part II provides a musical analysis of Mozart's composition, including contextual, structural, and interpretive aspects. Part III consists of an annotated collection of the principal literary documents (1791-1839) that illuminate the fascinating early history of the Requiem.
The book concludes with a complete edition of the work that is at the center of Wolff's study, the authentic score of the Requiem—Mozart's fragment—supplemented by crucial excerpts from Süssmayr's 1792 Requiem completion.
Mozart's Requiem Historical and Analytical Studies, Documents, Score
About the Book
Reviews
"'When was the score of the Requiem completed?' is a question that everyone has asked; . . .but Wolff goes on to ask: 'Where do the technical and stylistic premises for the Requiem lie, and to what extent could these be taken into account after Mozart's death?' This question is rich in implications, central to the uniqueness of the work, and virtually undiscussed in the Mozart literature."—Thomas Bauman, co-author of Mozart's OperasTable of Contents
Preface
I. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES:
THE COMPOSITION, COMPLETION, AND EARLY
RECEPTION OF MOZART'S REQUIEM
Fiction, Facts, and Open Questions
The Requiem Controversy (1825-39)
The First Edition and Siissmayr's Testimony
The Original Requiem Score
Mozart's Composition
Siissmayr's Completion
Original and Imitation: Hom Rondo and Requiem
Epilogue
II. MUSICAL ASPECTS:
THE CONCEPT, STRUCTURE, AND CHARACTER
0F MOZART'S REQUIEM
Background, Text, Formal Layout
The Musical Context
Individual Aspects
Mozart's Score
Instrumentation
Styles, Textures, and Forms
Harmonic Design
Words and Music
III. CONTEMPORARY DOCUMENTS:
GENESIS AND EARLY RECEPTION OF
MOZART'S REQUIEM
Preliminaries
Chronology
Documents
IV. SCORE OF MOZART'S REQUIEM FRAGMENT
Introduction
1. Requiem
Kyrie
2. Dies irae
Tuba mirum
Rex tremendae
Recordare
Confutatis
Lacrymosa (Beginning)
(Continuation from Siissmayr's score)
3. Domine Jesu
Hostias
From Sussmayr's score:
4. Sanctus
Benedictus
5. Agnus Dei
Bibliography
Abbreviations
1. Editions of Mozart's Requiem
2. Writings on Mozart's Requiem
3. Other Works Cited
Index of Mozart's Works
Index of Names