requiem



[Lat., rest] - [Ger., Requiem Mass] - [It., Requiem Mass]

  1. Compositions written to honor the deceased, often in the form of a Requiem Mass. As early as the late 15th century, Requiems were composed using melodies from Gregorian chant.

    By the 18th century, composers began to create Concert Requiems that required large orchestras that were too large to be used at ordinary funeral services and were more like an oratorio.

    The 20th century saw the emergence of the War Requiem, or compositions to honor those killed in war. These Compositions will often contain secular text along with the religious text of the Requiem Mass.Over 2,000 requiems have been written by hundreds of composers over the years.

  2. A German and Italian term for requiem mass.

    See also [Eng.] requiem mass; [Eng.] mass for the dead; [Fr.] messe des morts (f); [Ger.] Totenmesse (f); [Ger.] Requiem (n); [It.] messa dei defunti (f); [It.] Requiem (m); [It.] messa di Requiem (f).

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