- Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, First time. "Agnus Dei" firm, "dona eis requiem" quiet.
- dona eis requiem. give them rest.
- Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Second time, the harmony has shifted.
- dona eis requiem. give them rest.
- Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
- dona eis requiem sempiternam. give them everlasting rest. Third time, "everlasting". A clearing.
Now singing
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Orchestra only, no words
Sounding
Manuscript: the Agnus Dei in Süssmayr's hand
Leaf 53 verso of the score for the patron. Süssmayr wrote the Agnus Dei himself, and this is the movement considered the best of his own.
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The title between colons and dashes, as throughout the delivered score.
The violins in unison carry a restless figure, the violas answer with chords. The markings 'mf' and 'p' alternate in almost every bar.
The trombones play along with the choir's voices. No separate part is written for them, only this instruction.
The choir enters in the second bar, firmly, 'f'. The words are written under the soprano and the bass.
The bass of the orchestra and organ, with harmony figures under the notes.
About
One phrase three times, each time with a different harmony. Firm on "Agnus Dei", quiet on "dona eis requiem". The third time it brightens.
The choir sings 'Agnus Dei' loudly and firmly over restless strings, and at 'dona eis requiem' everything sinks to a prayerful whisper. This happens three times, and each time the harmony shifts somewhere new, as if a burden were moved from one shoulder to the other. The third time the word 'sempiternam', eternal, is added, and the music finds a brighter, calmer chord.
Requiem aeternam Eternal rest The silence before a prayer, when words still feel heavy. Mozart begins not with weeping but with a slow walk: bassoons and basset horns step like a procession, and the voices enter one by one, as if people were coming closer in turn. The grief is held back, and that is why it runs deep.
Open movement
Kyrie eleison Lord, have mercy A plea that cannot stop. Two themes cling to each other and the music flows without a breath, like a crowd calling with one voice. Mozart turns 'have mercy' not into a whisper but into an insistent demand, and only at the very end does it break into syllables.
Open movement
Dies irae Day of wrath Sudden terror with nowhere to hide. The choir hammers the words together, the strings tremble, and there is not a single soft note. Mozart shows not a picture of the Judgement but how that day feels to a person: sharp, close, with no right of reply.
Open movement
Tuba mirum The trumpet A summons, and then everything falls quiet. The trombone sounds not menacing but solemn and alone, and the voices take the word in turn, as if each were stepping forward. The higher the line climbs, the more personal the fear becomes, until a simple question is heard: what shall I say?
Open movement
Rex tremendae King of fearful majesty Awe before a majesty too great to look at directly. The heavy dotted rhythm is a king's entrance, and the choir cries out his title three times into silence. But in the last bars Mozart strips away the splendour: all that remains is a quiet 'save me', spoken almost on an out-breath.
Open movement
Recordare Remember A calm conversation with the one who can forgive. The voices do not compete but intertwine, like thoughts that have long been carried. Mozart neither frightens nor weeps here: this is the longest and warmest movement, where a person persuades rather than begs in panic.
Open movement
Confutatis The accursed Two worlds side by side: flame and light. The men's voices plunge down into the fire of the strings, the women answer from above, quiet and almost still. Then everything sinks, the harmony wavers, and what remains is a single heart ground to ash, asking to be cared for at its end.
Open movement
Lacrimosa Tearful day Tears for someone else. The strings sob, the melody rises and breaks, as if the voice could not hold. Right here, at bar eight, Mozart's hand stopped, and everything after it is a pupil's attempt to finish his teacher's prayer.
Open movement
Domine Jesu Lord Jesus Christ The fear of the abyss and the light of a promise in one movement. The basses fall deep on the words about hell, the music races away from the lion's mouth, and then the quartet unexpectedly clears. The fugue at the end sounds like a stubborn memory of an old promise: it was given, so it must come true.
Open movement
Hostias Sacrifices and prayers Quiet remembrance of particular people. The rhythm rocks gently, like a slow dance, and the choir sings in plain chords, without any pressure. This is the gentlest place in the work: no one begs for rescue from judgement here; a prayer is offered for those remembered today.
Open movement
Sanctus Holy Sudden light and praise. After a long darkness, trumpets and timpani sound in D major for the first time, like doors thrown wide open. Süssmayr writes a joy that is short and straightforward, without doubt or shadow.
Open movement
Benedictus Blessed Warmth after brilliance. The soloists sing calmly and lyrically, like a greeting to someone arriving in peace. Süssmayr lets the listener rest: there is no fear in this music, only gentle expectation.
Open movement
Agnus Dei Lamb of God A humble plea in which the weight can still be heard. One phrase sounds three times: firm on 'Lamb of God', quiet on 'grant them rest'. Each time the harmony shifts a little, as if the burden were slowly easing, and the third time it brightens.
You are here
Lux aeterna Eternal light Coming home as a different person. The same music as at the beginning returns, but now with words about eternal light and mercy. The grief has not gone, yet the listener has walked the whole way and hears in the familiar theme not hopelessness but peace.
Open movementWorth knowing
In an ordinary Mass this is "miserere nobis", have mercy on us. In a Requiem it is "dona eis requiem", give them rest: the very words the work began with.
Süssmayr, but this is considered the best of his three independent movements. He may have drawn on sketches or on Mozart's early Masses.
"Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world" - this is what John the Baptist called Jesus when he saw him by the Jordan.
The last movement without Mozart's music. After it, the Lux aeterna brings back his own music from the Introitus and Kyrie.