Verdi is known, with almost total justification, as an opera composer. He wrote very few non-operatic works – but of these the one which stands out is the Requiem. Naturally much of his operatic skill comes to the fore in the Requiem, but the style and texture are very different, despite the oft-made quip that it is his "opera for the church!" In fact, Verdi was a master of dramatic art. He was a particular devotee of Shakespeare and took pride in faithfully capturing the theatrical essence for his operas. So it is with the Requiem, despite the fact that Verdi was himself an agnostic. In it he captures the drama of the Latin text and magnifies it through music.

As we’ve seen, Verdi was born to a poor family and was for ever proud of his roots – "I am a peasant", he replied to King Victor Emmanuel when the latter made him a "Senator" in 1874 (the year of the requiem). He was born in Le Roncole, in the great Po valley, not far from Parma. As with so many natural musicians, he showed his talents very early, playing the church organ for services before he was 11, and his father wasted no time in packing him off to the local town of Busseto where he was able to learn from the cathedral organist. The townspeople raised enough money to enable him to leave for Milan when he was 18. Although the conservatory turned him down (he was too old and "insufficiently" talented for them to relax the rule), he began private studies and thence launched his career. He never really left his roots entirely, however, maintaining a house in the Busseto area until he died.

The story of how the Requiem came into being is an interesting one. Many music-lovers know that it was composed for Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873) (author of I Promessi Sposi – The Betrothed) who was regarded by Italians, especially the Milanese, as the central figure of Italian culture and literature of the 19th century. But it is less well known that Verdi had been the innovator of a plan to honor Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) by collaborating with the other leading composers of Italian opera on a requiem to be played on the anniversary of Rossini’s death. [He put forth this plan in a letter to his publisher Ricordi within four days of Rossini’s death]. Verdi’s contribution was to be the Libera Me section. Unfortunately for Verdi’s plan at the time – but fortunately for our legacy – the necessary cooperation between the various composers was not forthcoming and the anniversary came and went with no concrete result. [The project was eventually completed, but the memorial to Rossini never actually took place]. Verdi had not long received back his autograph of the Libera Me when Manzoni died. He immediately recognized the opportunity to put it to use as part of a new Requiem which would be entirely his own work – and straight away suggested his new plan to the Mayor of Milan.  So it came to pass. That original section is the part that was performed to such sublime effect last year at Princess Diana’s funeral.

The requiem was written during an almost totally fallow period of fifteen years between Aida and Othello, twenty years after his incredible hat trick of Rigoletto, Trovatore and Traviata. Like his predecessor, Rossini (who turned his talents to the culinary arts), it looked like he would produce no more great music during the second half of his adulthood. Verdi was content to live the life of a country squire, enjoying the simple rustic pleasures with his second wife, the singer Giuseppina Strepponi (Verdi was one of only a few composers to have been happily married twice – along with Bach and Stravinsky).

Considering the liturgical similarities between all of the well-known requiems, there is nevertheless tremendous diversity in the details of which parts are set, which not, and the relative emphasis on each section, even the precise order of the text. Moreover, there are great disparities in the overall scale. Perhaps the most modest in this regard is that of Fauré, especially in its original orchestration, and the richest is that of his compatriot, Berlioz (requiring, at least according to the composer’s wishes, ten timpanists, for example). The orchestration and length of the Verdi requiem, however, make it a very close second to Berlioz’ work (with which Verdi was quite familiar). It is divided into seven segments, and of these, the Dies Irae (including the Tuba Mirum through the Lacrymosa) comprises approximately half the total length of the piece. The orchestra is fairly standard for the time, the only significant differences being an extra pair of bassoons, which lend a darker tone throughout much of the music and the off-stage trumpets used for the Tuba Mirum.

The requiem begins and ends ppp with two closely related themes (in itself quite normal), and encompasses a multitude of dynamic markings and tempo changes (more typical of an opera than a mass).  It includes several repetitions of the awesome Dies Irae section, which are marked fff, tutta forza and which are heavily punctuated by the bass drum, tightened according to the composer’s instructions.  Impressive as these displays of orchestral and choral forces are, the reputation of the work rests principally on the sheer beauty and poignancy of the many quieter passages, for example, the opening of the Requiem section and especially the tenor’s Ingemisco during the Dies Irae and the soprano’s Requiem aeternam dona eis near the conclusion of the piece just before the final fugue.
 

 Links on the Requiem

• Requiem Text and Translation
• Verdi: Requiem
• Verdi Requiem
• Verdi Requiem - Program Notes
• Verdi Requiem

Links on Verdi himself

• Giuseppe Verdi ("Classical Music Pages")
• Giuseppe Verdi (somewhat "cheezy" page)
• Classical Insites
• Giuseppe Verdi - The Early Years
• La Scala - Giuseppe Verdi (in italian)
• Verdi Bio (New York City Opera)
• Giuseppe Verdi (in italian)
• Acqua di Parma - Giuseppe Verdi

Miscellaneous links

• The Requiem Web
• Giuseppe Verdi (Operas)
• Piazza Giuseppe Verdi (in italian - pictures of the square in Busseto)
• UBL: Artist Giuseppe Verdi (commercial links to other information)

On the excerpt used in Princess Diana's funeral

• Elton John, and who?
• `Family funeral' draws mourners to television around the world
• Verdi, Elton John on program for Diana's funeral
• Princess Diana - Order of Service

References

• The Milton Cross New Encyclopedia of the Great Composers, vol. 2 (Doubleday)
• Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians

© This page copyright 1998 by Robin Hillyard and Symphony Pro Musica.

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