''Requiem for Mignon'' (German: ) is a six movement work by

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

for

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

. The work was originally composed in 1849, premiered in 1851, and runs approximately 13 minutes.

Development

Schumann was reportedly fascinated by Goethe's '' Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre'' and dedicated both parts of his Op. 98 to the book. Schuman was particularly interested a character named Mignon, a young woman born out of incest. The year of its composition marked the centenary of Goethe's birth, and Schumann acknowledged this in several of his works. Schumann laid the foundation for the requiem on July 2 and 3, 1849 and finished its orchestration in September of the same year. The work would premier in a concerto for Düsseldorf Allgemeiner Musikverein on November 21, 1851.

Content

Contrasting with other

requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

s of the time which represented masses for the dead, ''Requiem for Mignon'' describes only Mignon's funeral scene at the end of the book. In this scene, four coffin boys are reconciled by her death. These boys are represented by four adult female voices in Schumann's orchestration, but the work is sometimes performed with boys nevertheless. Schumann ends the requiem on a semi-positive note, before Mignon's identity and origin are discovered. The work instead focuses on the girl's sickly life and her yearning for the immortal. The work ends by stating that her yearnings for the immortal are satisfied and that life is to continue.

Structure

The work consists of 6 movements that run without stopping:

Notable performances

Notable performances of the work include: * Bernhard Klee, Conducto
Schumann - Requiem Op.148, Requiem Für Mignon Op.98b + P° (reference recording: Bernhard Klee)
*

Chamber Orchestra of Europe The Chamber Orchestra of Europe (COE), established in 1981, is an orchestra based in London. The orchestra comprises about 60 members from across Europe. The players pursue parallel careers as international soloists, members of chamber groups and ...

, January 1, 199
Schumann: Requiem für Mignon, Op. 98b - I. Langsam feierlichSchumann: Requiem für Mignon, Op. 98b - VI. Lebhaft
* Michel Corboz, Conductor, 199
Schumann : Requiem for Mignon Op.98b
* William Dazeley, Conductor, January 1, 2010
Schumann: Requiem für Mignon aus Goethes "Wilhelm Meister", Op.98b For Soloists, Chorus And...
* Conservatory of Innsbruch Choir, January 1, 201
Schumann - Requiem für Mignon Op. 98B

References

{{Reflist Compositions by Robert Schumann 1849 compositions Choral compositions Requiems