Requiem Songs

This work consists of three Latin texts from the Requiem Mass. The first, Exaudi, is in larghetto tempo and serves as a prelude. The composition is based on a plaintive three-note descending motive presented in the strings which is then echoed in the voice and the violin. The second text, Dies Irae, marked "allegro agitato," is an intense and dark scherzo in D minor with chromatic runs in the organ and violin which accompany the soprano. A central, more lyrical section follows, based on the Lacrymosa text in a slower tempo and leading to the song’s only serene moment: Pie Jesu Domine. The Dies Irae music returns, and the song ends violently and decisively. The third song, In Paradisum, introduces the harp. The soprano melody is modeled very closely on the Gregorian chant based on this text. A gentle climax occurs on the words "habeas eternam," and the song slowly winds down to its end, having laid to rest life’s struggles in the eternity of heaven. String orchestra instrumentation: solo violin, harp, strings 6-6-4-4-2