Requiems

Requiems are musical settings of the Requiem Mass, the Catholic liturgical service for the dead. The plural form, Requiems, is used to refer to multiple works or to titles that evoke the idea of memorial pieces. In liturgical use, the Requiem Mass includes prayers and texts such as the Introit, Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, and the Lux aeterna, typically offered for the repose of departed souls.

In classical music, composers have written numerous Requiems as concert works, sometimes preserving a traditional liturgical framework and other times adopting a more secular or contemporary approach. Notable examples include Mozart’s Requiem in D minor (K. 626), completed by Franz Xaver Süssmayr after Mozart’s death; Verdi’s Requiem in D minor, a dramatic large-scale work that blends operatic and sacred elements; and Faure’s Requiem in D minor, which is often described as serene and intimate. Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) reframes the Latin text in German and emphasizes consolation for the living. The plural form Requiems may appear in discussions of multiple works or as an intentional cataloging of several memorial compositions.

Beyond the classical repertoire, Requiems or similarly titled works have appeared in modern music, film, and literature, where the term signals themes of death, remembrance, and solace rather than strict liturgical use. The concept remains a common reference point for memorial and elegiac artistic expression.