The Requiem is the final work of the musical genius Mozart, composed in 1791, in a very special situation and a very special mission: Prophecy for the Last Day of Judgment…
Mozart’s last work
Wolgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) was born in Salzbourg, Austria. Mozart’s teacher was his father, a violin performer and composer. The childhood and precocious genius of child prodigy Mozart, the important role of his father, the brilliant successes and bitterness in his life are probably unknown to everyone.
Mozart left behind a huge artistic legacy including 754 works of all kinds. Death took his life at the age of 35, making him unable to complete the Requiem, considered Mozart’s artistic testament.
One day in late July 1791, a mysterious person in a gray suit came to see Mozart. He introduced himself as the estate manager of a count sent by his master to meet Mozart to write a Requiem or memorial piece for the nobleman’s deceased wife.
At that time, Mozart had just finished writing the work La flute enchantee (The Magic Flute), and immediately began work on the newly ordered work, but in mid-August, after completing the two chapters Introit and Kyrie, Mozart had to pause to Urgently write a musical play La clemence de Titus (The Tolerance of Titus). Titus was a Roman Emperor famous for his love of people. In time to celebrate the coronation of Emperor Leopold in Prage on September 6.
After hastily returning from Prage, Mozart was exhausted and fell ill. Part of his body was paralyzed along with severe headaches that made him moan day and night. He lamented to his close friend: “Do I have to leave this world while I have just repelled poverty and supported myself with art? At this moment I am no longer a slave serving everything trendy, a miserable person tied to art speculators. I was able to freely write according to the urges of my heart and creative inspiration. It’s so painful when I have to leave my family with my poor, helpless children who need the father’s caring hands.”
However, Mozart’s mind was still sharp. Lying on his hospital bed, he continued to read to Sussmayer, his close student, the musical notes that were forming in his head to complete the Requiem. Every time he finished writing a paragraph, he asked his student to reproduce for him the sounds he had just created.
One day before his death, he heard the “Requiem” read with relatives and friends. The work has not been written yet, but the draft has been completed. Most of the other parts are just outlines, except for the important passage “Lacrimosa”, for which Mozart only wrote the first eight bars.
Sussmayr completed “Requiem”, K.626, after the death of its master. This is the first large-scale requiem with orchestral instruments. This is the first popular requiem to reveal the broader structure of the genre.
The first full performance of this work was given on January 2, 1793, thirteen months after Mozart’s death. The score is written for two bass horns, two bassoons, three trombones, two trumpets, timpani, organ and strings.
A personal translation of the passage “Lacrimosa” in the Requiem prophesies the final Judgment Day:
(Choir in harmony)