~ Hector Berlioz - 1863
photo by Pierre Petit
Today is the birthday of French composer Hector Berlioz who was the author of many styles of music from light "Pop" classical (Symphonie fantastique) to heavenly "Grand" opera (La Damnation de Faust).
Berlioz
discovered the brass and woodwind instruments that were being invented at the time by
Adolphe Sax, fell in love with the sound of them and utilized them in some of his works to great advantage.
This is beautifully demonstrated in his Requiem, Op. 5, The Grande Messe des Morts, that he composed in 1837, which has an orchestration of woodwind and brass instruments, including four antiphonal offstage brass ensembles, as well as the Symphonie fantastique.
In 1837, Adrien de Gasparin, the Minister of the Interior of France, asked Berlioz to compose a Requiem Mass to remember soldiers who died in the Revolution of July 1830. Berlioz accepted the request, having already wanted to compose a large orchestral work. Meanwhile, the orchestra
was growing in size and quality, and the use of woodwinds and brass was
expanding due to the increasing ease of intonation afforded by the current
instrument makers such as Sax.
The Requiem is scored for a massive orchestra, including four brass choirs at the corners of the stage, and chorus. In relation to the number of singers and strings, Berlioz indicates in the score . . .
"The number [of performers] indicated is only relative. If space permits, the chorus may be doubled or tripled, and the orchestra be proportionally increased. But in the event of an exceptionally large chorus, say 700 to 800 voices (!!!!), the entire chorus should only be used for the Dies irae [portraying Judgement Day], the Tuba mirum, and the Lacrimosa [the last two part of the Dies irae], the rest of the movements being restricted to 400 voices."
Lacrimosa dies illa
Qua resurget ex favilla
Judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus:
Pie Jesu Domine,
Dona eis requiem. Amen.
Full of tears will be that day
When from the ashes shall arise
The guilty man to be judged;
Therefore spare him, O God,
Merciful Lord Jesus,
Grant them eternal rest. Amen.
There is the story that during the premiere in Paris of the Requiem Mass, conductor Francois-Antoine Habeneck, decided to take a pinch of snuff during an especially tricky passage at the very moment he should have been giving an important cue to the orchestra. To avert disaster, Berlioz jumped up, gave the cue, and afterwards accused Habeneck of sabotage. An urban legend (link below)?
One of my favorite pieces of music by Berlioz is the Trio of the Young Ismaëlites from his oratorio, L'enfance du Christ, which features two flutes and harp. It is a beautiful and soothing exposition of flute at its very best.
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Berlioz site ~ Grande messe des morts (Requiem)
Classical Notes ~ Berlioz Requiem
The Imaginative Conservative ~ Top 10 Greatest Requiem Masses
Indychoir ~ Berloz Requiem: Program notes
Player FM ~ Berlioz gets snuffed?
Requiem (Grande Messe des Morts) ~ sgrathwohl ~ The Berlioz Requiem: A few thoughts
Hector Berlioz ~
Requiem (Grande Messe des Morts) ~
WDR Symphony Orchestra & Choir (complete) (1 hr., 19 mins.)
Leonard Bernstein ~ Dies Irae (3 mins., 18 secs.)
Monteverdi Orchestre et Choeur ~ Dies Irae (12 mins.) Myung-Whun Chung (complete) (56 mins.)
Trio des jeunes Ismaélites (L’enfance du Christ)
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