Requiem Canticles

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Requiem Canticles is a 15 minute piece for contralto and bass soli, chorus, and orchestra composed by Igor Stravinsky. It was completed and first performed in 1966. It is from Stravinsky's serial period, but it has elements from all his stylistic periods. It was performed at Stravinsky's funeral five years after its initial premiere.

[edit] Orchestration

Requiem Canticles is scored for contralto and bass soloists, mixed chorus, and an orchestra consisting of 3 flutes (3rd doubles on piccolo), alto flute, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani (2 performers), 2 percussionists (xylophone, vibraphone, and tubular bells), harp, piano, celesta, and strings. This orchestration is unusual because it has such a small woodwind section.

[edit] Structure

The piece consists of 9 short movements:

1. Prelude
2. Exaudi
3. Dies Irae
4. Tuba mirum
5. Interlude
6. Rex tremendae
7. Lacrimosa
8. Libera me
9. Postlude

Prelude, Interlude, and Postlude are instrumental, and they provide some of the most salient connections to Stravinsky's previous work. The pulsing strings in the Prelude recall parts of The Rite of Spring, and the wind chords in Interlude recall stylistically similar passages from pieces from throughout Stravinsky's neo-classical period. In the Postlude, the chords sounded by the flute/harp/piano together and especially those sounded by celesta, vibraphone, and tubular bells together recall Les noces.

The six vocal movements are in Latin and are selections from the Roman Catholic requiem mass.

[edit] References

Samson, Jim (1995). "Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, etc". In Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Requiem Canticles, Canticum Sacrum (pp. 6-9) [CD booklet]. Colchester, Essex, England: Chandos Records.