Requiem in Full Score

by Giuseppe Verdi

Widely considered Verdi's masterpiece, the Requiem was written in 1873 as a tribute to poet, novelist, and patriot Alessandro Manzoni, one of the few individuals whom Verdi revered. Reflecting the powerful theatrical tradition in which the composer worked all his life, the "Manzoni" Requiem has been called Verdi's greatest operatic achievement. Grove's Dictionary noted that "the Mass for the Dead provided [Verdi] with one of the most dramatic texts and some of the most dramatic situations he had ever set, and he responded to them with high inspiration, rhythmic, sonic, and structural."
This unabridged orchestral score is scored for solo vocal quartet, full chorus, and enlarged orchestra — including the massive brass choir, offstage and on, featured in the memorable Tuba mirum ("The trumpet shall sound"). Reproduced here from an authoritative early edition, the score appears with bar-numbered movements and ample margins at the bottom of each score page for notes and analysis. Ideal for study in the classroom, at home, or in the concert hall, this affordable, high-quality, conveniently sized volume will be the edition of choice for music students and music lovers alike.

Genres: Music, Scores

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 22, 1874

About the author

Fullest artistic form of operas of Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer, included La Traviata in 1853, Aïda in 1871, and Otello in 1887; people credit him with raising the genre.

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi, mainly a Romantic, most influenced the 19th century. Houses frequently perform his works throughout the world, and some themes transcended the boundaries of the genre and long took root in popular culture:
* "La donna è mobile" from Rigoletto
* "Va, pensiero" (The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves) from Nabucco , and
* "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" (The Drinking Song).

Masterworks of Giuseppe Verdi used a generally diatonic rather than a chromatic musical idiom, and people sometimes criticized tendency toward melodrama, which dominates the standard repertoire a century and a half.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun to sing.

[Bernardo Henríquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leyendo esto entendí un tanto mejor el estilo de Verdi. Es básicamente una obra continua en varios movimientos, con momentos líricos y clímaxes muy intensos y movidos. Aquí confirmé que a Verdi le gusta usar cellos en clave de sol para acompañar voces. El Dies irae aparece varias veces y en las últimas veces varía la letra y la melodía.

[Maurizio Codogno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questi non sono semplicemente degli spartiti: ci sono più di cento pagine di introduzione, in italiano e in inglese, dove David Rosen racconta la genesi del Requiem e le sue prime rappresentazioni in Italia (a Milano, nella chiesa di San Marco e poi alla Scala), in Europa e negli Stati Uniti... che al tempo non riconoscevano il copyright e quindi copiavano a man bassa. Sono inoltre indicate le varianti tra i vari manoscritti: io ero ingenuamente convinto che a fine '800 la versione a stampa fosse stabile, e ho scoperto che invece ci sono decine di differenze, alcune dovute alla fretta, altre a ripensamenti di Verdi, altre ancora incomprensibili. Paradossalmente questo si riflette negli spartiti, che sono stati preparati partendo dalle fonti e indicando con una font diversa le correzioni necessarie, con un effetto a prima vista sciatto. Ci ho perso un po' di tempo per capire che era proprio così...

[mirabilos · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’ve sung it through in one pass last rehearsal, and so I’m about finished with it. Not so. The concert is upcoming, and we’ll be doing some more serious rehearsal. It will be great, though.