Requiem pro mundo moriente

My tribute to the current state of the world.

I listened to the opening movement, and loved it!
It's sparse and haunting, then shifts halfway through to become mysterious and tense, like a Film Noir. 
 

Congrats on completing this major work.
Will try to listen to the other movements when I have time.

Have listened to all of this now.
I noticed all but one of your movements follow the naming scheme of Mozart's Requiem.

The suite feels mournful, with a flavour of Antiquity, and makes good use of percussion throughout.
Sounds like Halloween music at times.

The highlight for me was the mysterious last movement.
Reminded me a little of the final movement of Holst's Planet Suite. 
This comes as a welcome relief, after the frantic dissonance of the preceding movements. 
 

Haven't listened to the whole piece, but enough to know that you are a good composer, but this style is not my cup of tea!  I should talk; I used to write like that 34 years or so ago.  I have simplified my style.

On the other hand, the music seems to reflect the state of the world, THIS world at least, and without going into detail, I would say the problem with the world (plus ca change, plus se la meme chose) is that the lunatics are in charge of the asylum! 🤪

I wrote a Requiem in Bb Major, posted here in choral music, string orchestra.  It is different than yours.  I went old-school and mainly just doubled the SATB parts in the strings, though there are preludes and postludes, interludes, SOME figurations.  It is modeled on the Mozart-Süssmayr Requiem in D minor, but it doesn't sound like Mozart, except in the occasional turn of phrase.   

On 11/5/2025 at 7:49 PM, Alex Weidmann said:

Have listened to all of this now.
I noticed all but one of your movements follow the naming scheme of Mozart's Requiem.

The suite feels mournful, with a flavour of Antiquity, and makes good use of percussion throughout.
Sounds like Halloween music at times.

The highlight for me was the mysterious last movement.
Reminded me a little of the final movement of Holst's Planet Suite. 
This comes as a welcome relief, after the frantic dissonance of the preceding movements. 
 

 

Thanks for taking the time to listen. The main mood of the piece is a little nihilistic, hence the frantic dissonance, but I’m glad you caught the more plaintive feel of the Pie Jesu. My intention was to conclude with a more mournful, but calm thought. Almost as a recognition of the evil in the world, but with a resolution to carry on. 

2 hours ago, Churchcantor said:

Haven't listened to the whole piece, but enough to know that you are a good composer, but this style is not my cup of tea!  I should talk; I used to write like that 34 years or so ago.  I have simplified my style.

On the other hand, the music seems to reflect the state of the world, THIS world at least, and without going into detail, I would say the problem with the world (plus ca change, plus se la meme chose) is that the lunatics are in charge of the asylum! 🤪

I wrote a Requiem in Bb Major, posted here in choral music, string orchestra.  It is different than yours.  I went old-school and mainly just doubled the SATB parts in the strings, though there are preludes and postludes, SOME figurations.  It is modeled on the Mozart-Süssmayr Requiem in D minor, but it doesn't sound like Mozart, except in the occasional turn of phrase.   

 

Thanks for listening!

My style goes with my bipolar nature. When I’m in a down cycle, it tends to be more dissonant and frantic, while the manic episodes tend to produce a more romanticesque feel. 
 

I based the structure for this off of Mozart’s, with a few omissions. That requiem is one of the pieces that made me want to be a composer and has always inspired me. 
 

I’ll have to check out your piece!

1 hour ago, Churchcantor said:

Yes, do check out my old-school Requiem!  It is not death-obsessed, but rather a hopeful Requiem in a major key.  The Introitus is Romantic, but it goes Neoclassical pretty soon after.  I broke up the text just like Mozart did, and in the manuscript even had a funny where I wrote, in the exact place Mozart croaked, his apparent last written words:  Quam Olim DC...da capo.  

Actually, start here!

Requiem In Bb Major-Quam Olim II Free Sheet Music by Robert C. Fox for Various Instruments | Noteflight

 

 

I just remembered I never actually posted a thread on my Requiem, just the first two movements in a thread on my other mass, Missa Sabrina Fair!  If you want to listen, try this:

Churchcantor : Community Titles

and scroll to bottom.  The last movement is unfinished, but all I need to do is transpose a D minor fugue to Bb major, and write a coda/final cadence.  Cyclical, as Süssmayr chose to complete Mozart's Requiem.  In other words, the Introitus will come back in the end.

Actually, that Noteflight link will default to sort by date, just sort by title.

On 11/7/2025 at 4:37 PM, Churchcantor said:

The last movement is unfinished, but all I need to do is transpose a D minor fugue to Bb major, and write a coda/final cadence.  Cyclical, as Süssmayr chose to complete Mozart's Requiem.  In other words, the Introitus will come back in the end.

By sheer coincidence, I just went to a performance of Mozart's Requiem tonight!

27 minutes ago, Alex Weidmann said:

By sheer coincidence, I just went to a performance of Mozart's Requiem tonight!

 

Cool!  Have you ever studied the manuscript to see how much of it Mozart actually wrote?  Only movement fully orchestrated by Mozart was the first movement, the Introitus.  He got about halfway (Hostias/Quam Olim) with only vocal parts, figured bass, and suggestions of first violin figurations.  I love it, but prefer to call it the Mozart/Süssmayr Requiem!  Highly influenced by Michael Haydn's Requiem, and that one and even Salieri's are worth a listen.  Start here:

I like Costas Court Composer; he basically writes Haydn symphonies that sound like Haydn, middlin' Haydn anyway.  Nice guy, and when I asked if he were Joseph Haydn, or Michael, in a past life, he thought it was pretty funny...