REQUIEM - GABRIEL FAURÉ
Requiem Text
Beethoven said, "A
Requiem ought to be quiet music - it needs no trump of doom; memories of
the dead require no hubbub." Apparently Fauré agreed, for he said of his
Requiem, "Altogether it is as gentle as I am myself". "My Requiem...has
been said to express no fear of death; it has been called a lullaby of death.
But that is how I feel about death; a happy deliverance, a reaching for
a happy deliverance, rather than a mournful passing...Perhaps I have sought
to depart from what is conventional because for so long I was organist at
services of interment. I'm fed up with that. I wanted to do something different".
Gabriel Urbain Fauré
(1845-1924) probably began work on this Requiem in 1886 while choirmaster
at the famous LaMadeleine in Paris (his position succeeded Saint-Saens').
It was finished just in time for a burial service January 16, 1888. Its
original form lacked the wonderful baritone solo movements for which it
is especially well known today. The Offertory, "O Domine Jesu Christe" was
added in 1889 and the "Libera Me" was included in 1892. His selections of
texts was indeed personal. In general, he spurned strict adherence to Roman
Catholic traditions choosing to omit the Day of Judgment (Dies Irae) and
adding an introduction (Introitus) and an In Paradisum at the end (a liturgy
borrowed from the Burial Service). In addition, he pioneered the idea of
starting and ending the requiem with the word "requiem".
Fauré originally designed
this work to be functional for church services with appropriately conservative
accompaniment: the organ supplemented by harp, tympani and strings generally
omitting violins except in the Sanctus. The technique of backing off the
violins for a more somber effect may have been an idea borrowed from Brahms.
In 1984, composer John
Rutter produced an edition of this requiem which probably holds true to
the composer's parameters of 1893, when Fauré conservatively augmented the
instruments. However, the version performed today, popular since the early
1900's, dresses the work in grandest garb - perhaps a bit fuller than Fauré
intended, yet stately, just the same.
Fauré's Requiem enjoys
hallowed company persevering over time like the requiems of Mozart, Brahms,
Berlioz and Verdi, to name a few. Dubois' "Seven Last Words" has also maintained
consistent popularity, year after year! What sets these works apart from
many others is their flexibility and versatility.
Extensive choral/orchestral
works often lose too much identity when stripped of orchestral accompaniment.
Now and then, excerpts work quite well with stripped down accompaniment,
e.g., organ. Yet, presentation of an entire work in that manner can unjustly
undermine the composer's intent. In contrast, today's two works can be dressed
down - presented with the barest accompaniment - and not suffer substantial
degradation. The vocal lines carry the day!
I believe that the
similar backgrounds of these two men served as inspiration for crafting
flexibility into their works. As performers, teachers, talented administrators,
and church musicians they understood the fine art of composing pearls with
limited forces which could then be jeweled for the concert hall. - Maureen
McCauley
To Top | Back
THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF CHRIST - THÉODORE DUBOIS
Seven Last Words Text
There are two famous
settings of Jesus' last words on the cross with the title "The Seven
Last Words of Christ". One was composed by Franz Joseph Haydn for a
small instrumental ensemble in 1786. Years later text was added to this
version, and to this day, it is performed equally often with and without
singers. Today we will hear a masterful setting of those famous words by
Théodore Dubois which postdated Haydn's work by 80 years.
Clement Francois Théodore
Dubois (1837-1924) was an important organist, composer and teacher of music
on the Paris scene during the 1860's. He received the coveted Prix de Rome
in 1861 for composition. He composed four operas, a large-scale ballet,
several oratorios, a Requiem Mass and many orchestral pieces. At age 59
he became director of the prestigious Paris Conservatory. To this day his
treatise, "Notes et Études d'Harmonie" (notes and Lessons
in Harmony) is highly regarded as an important resource for harmonic practice
in the Romantic Style.
The oratorio, "The
Seven Last Words of Christ", was first performed in 1867 at Saint Clotilde
in Paris, where Dubois was the choirmaster. Each word (section) is a musical
setting of one of the seven final sentences or phrases uttered by Jesus,
as recorded in the Bible. The beauty of his compositional style lies in
its simplicity. Instead of elaborate, complex structures (suited for highly
trained choirs) we find this mini masterpiece delightfully approachable.
I think of this work as a charming "period piece" brimming with
19th century flavor.
Fauré and Dubois
were French contemporaries. In fact, Dubois' leadership of the Paris Conservatory
(1896 to 1905) was directly followed by Fauré (1905 to 1920), partly
as a result of a scandal. A student of the Conservatory, Maurice Ravel,
had applied for and failed three attempts to win the famous Prix de Rome
for composition. The works he submitted were judged too "advanced"
by ultraconservative members of the jury. Eventually indignant protests
were published and liberal-minded musicians and writers, including the musicologist
and novelist Romain Rolland, supported Ravel. As a result, the director
of the Conservatory, Théodore Dubois was forced to resign, and his
place was taken by the composer Gabriel Fauré, with whom Ravel had
studied composition. - Maureen McCauley
To Top
Links
to Fauré &Dubois | Printable
Flyer | Back
