Requiem (Wilberg)

Mack Wilberg's Requiem is a large-scale work for chorus, orchestra, a soprano and a baritone soloist. Wilberg began composition in 2006 and it was premiered in 2007 in Salt Lake City, Utah. It comprises seven movements, which together last thirty-four minutes. It was published in 2008 by Oxford University Press.
The cover art of the album and the score displays the stained glass of the Chapel of Thanksgiving in Dallas, TX, created by Gabriel Loire.

History

Wilberg completed Requiem in 2007. He called it a "requiem for the living." Wilberg was first inspired to write a full requiem after Craig Jessop commissioned him to write an Introit and Epilogue for a performance of Vaughan Williams’s cantata, Dona nobis pacem, at Carnegie Hall's National High School Choral Festival on March 14, 2006. Wilberg later decided to compose other movements to fill the requiem, culminating in its premiere performance on April 26, 2007 with soprano Laura Garff Lewis and baritone Tyler Oliphant as soloists. A CD recording was released the following year, with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, and soloists Frederica von Stade and Bryn Terfel.

Music

Wilberg scored the Requiem for mixed choir, orchestra, and a soprano and a baritone soloist. Wilberg structured the work in seven movements, similar to the setting of John Rutter. It switches between English and Latin throughout.

Orchestration

[|3] flutes,
[|2] oboes,
2 clarinets in Bb,
2 bassoons,
[|4] horns in F,
celeste,
harp,
piano,
organ,
violin [|1],
violin 2,
viola,
cello,
double bass

Table of movements

The following table shows the title, tempo marking, voices, time, key and text sources for the seven movements. The information is given for the beginning of the movements. Wilberg maintains triple time signatures throughout the whole work with mostly slow tempi, but he involves frequent, complex key changes from movement to movement. The source for the details is the vocal score, unless otherwise noted.

No.	Title	Tempo marking	Vocal	Time	Key	Text source
1	Requiem aeternam	Slowly, with mystical expression	Chorus	=46	harmonic planing ends D major	Introit
2	Kyrie	With intensity and outcry	Chorus Baritone	=72	polytonal, F♯ minor, A melodic minor	Kyrie & English Translation
3	I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes	With contemplation	Chorus Baritone	=50	harmonic planing ends in B major	Psalm 121
4	How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place	Moderately, with motion	Soprano w/ flute solo	=76	polytonal with E♭ pentatonic minor melody	Psalm 84
5	O nata lux	Luminous	Chorus	=69	D♯ minor	An ancient Catholic text used for the Feast of the Transfiguration
6	The Lord is my shepherd	With Expression	Baritone	=72	F minor
7	I am the resurrection and the life—Requiem aeternum	With expression	Chorus	=66	Multiple, ends in E major	-26 Introit

1: Requiem aeternam

The first movement consists of the Introit from the Requiem mass.
This text originates from 4 Esdras 2:34–35

2: Kyrie

The second movement is entitled Kyrie. It begins with choir singing in Greek, and then transitions to Baritone soloist singing in English.

3: I will lift up mine eyes

The third movement is I will lift up mine eyes. It is set for Baritone solo.

4: How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place

The central movement is "How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place." It is set for Mezzo-Soprano with flute solo.

5: O nata lux

The fifth movement is "O nata lux." It is set for choir and orchestra, with harp solo.

6: The Lord is my shepherd

The sixth movement is "The Lord is my shepherd." It is set for Baritone solo. It is interesting to note that Wilberg departs from his traditional KJV translation of biblical texts.

7: I am the resurrection and the life—Requiem aeternum

The seventh movement is titled "I am the resurrection and the life—Requiem aeternum." It set for choir and orchestra, and switches from first an English text to then a Latin text. The choir first sings -26 and then the Introit from the Requiem Mass.