Franz von WalseggCount Franz von Walsegg (January 17, 1763 – November 11, 1827) was a German aristocrat, living in Stuppach Castle near Gloggnitz, who is best remembered for having commissioned a Requiem Mass from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1791 following the death of his twenty-year-old wife Anna (the grieving count, only 28 himself at the time, would never remarry).
Wolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a Classical composer and musician. He completed more than 800 works in his life—including outstanding examples of most of the genres of his time: symphonies, concertos, chamber music, opera and choral music—and is regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music.Music for the Requiem MassMusic for the Requiem Mass is any music that accompanies the Requiem, or Mass for the Dead, in the Catholic Church. This church service has inspired hundreds of compositions, including settings by Victoria, Mozart, Berlioz, Verdi, Fauré, Dvořák, Duruflé and Britten. For centuries settings of the Mass for the Dead were to be chanted in liturgical service monophonically. Later the settings became polyphonic, Victoria's famous 1605 a cappella work being an example.D minorD minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B♭, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary.
Death of Wolfgang Amadeus MozartOn 5 December 1791, the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died at his home in Vienna at the age of 35. The circumstances of his death have attracted much research and speculation.
OrchestrationOrchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orchestration is the assignment of different instruments to play the different parts (e.g., melody, bassline, etc.) of a musical work.
Köchel catalogueThe Köchel catalogue (German: Köchel-Verzeichnis) is a catalogue of compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, originally created by Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, in which the entries are abbreviated K. or KV. Its numbers reflect the ongoing task of compiling the chronology of Mozart's works, and provide a shorthand reference to the compositions. For example, according to Köchel's counting, Requiem in D minor is the 626th piece Mozart composed, thus is designated K. 626.
IntroitThe Introit (from Latin introitus'entrance') is part of the opening of the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations. In its most complete version, it consists of an antiphon, psalm verse and Gloria Patri, which are spoken or sung at the beginning of the celebration. It is part of the proper of the liturgy: that is, the part that changes over the liturgical year.
KyrieKyrie, a transliteration of GreekΚύριε, vocative case of Κύριος (Kyrios), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the Kyrie eleison ( ; Ancient Greek: Κύριε ἐλέησον, romanized: Kýrie eléēson, lit.'Lord have mercy'). In the BibleThe prayer, Kýrie, eléison, "Lord, have mercy" derives from a Biblical phrase.Sequence (musical form)A sequence (Latin: sequentia, plural: sequentiae) is a chant or hymn sung or recited during the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations, before the proclamation of the Gospel. By the time of the Council of Trent (1543–1563) there were sequences for many feasts in the Church's year. The sequence had always been sung directly before the Gospel, after the Alleluia.LacrimosaThe Lacrimosa (Latin for "weeping/tearful"), is part of the Dies Irae sequence in the Catholic Requiem Mass. Its text comes from the Latin 18th and 19th stanzas of the sequence.
OffertoriumOffertorium (Russian Жертвоприношение) is a concerto for violin and orchestra composed by Sofia Gubaidulina in 1980 and revised in 1982 and 1986. It is dedicated to Gidon Kremer, who in touring with it around the world brought Gubaidulina to international attention.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.