- Domine Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae, Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory,
- libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum free the souls of all the faithful departed
- de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu. from the punishments of hell and from the deep pit. The basses drop on "de profundo lacu", from the deep pit.
- Libera eas de ore leonis, Free them from the mouth of the lion, A rush on "de ore leonis", from the lion's mouth.
- ne absorbeat eas tartarus, let Tartarus not swallow them,
- ne cadant in obscurum. let them not fall into darkness.
- Sed signifer sanctus Michael But let the standard-bearer, holy Michael, The solo quartet, a clearing: Saint Michael leads the souls into the light. The voices rise on "lucem".
- repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam, lead them into the holy light,
- quam olim Abrahae promisisti which you once promised to Abraham The "Quam olim Abrahae" fugue. It returns note for note at the end of the next movement.
- et semini ejus. and to his seed.
Now singing
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Orchestra only, no words
Sounding
Manuscript: the first page of the Domine Jesu
Leaf 89 of the working score. Mozart wrote the Offertorium the same way as the sequence: voices and bass first, orchestra later. Here the strings are still empty.
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The title shortened to one word.
The staves are labelled 'Violini' and 'Viole', but there are no notes: Mozart left the orchestration for later, and Süssmayr completed it.
The choir 'Tutti', all together, syllable against syllable. The words are written under the soprano and the bass.
Mozart wrote the dynamic contrasts himself: 'forte' on 'Rex gloriae', 'piano' on 'libera'.
Then the voices enter one after another, more softly: 'deliver the souls of all the faithful departed'.
The only instrumental staff written out: organ and low strings.
About
The basses sink into the pit and rise towards the light. Then a great fugue on the promise to Abraham.
It begins quietly and solemnly, but at 'de poenis inferni' and 'de profundo lacu' the basses plunge down, and at 'de ore leonis' the music suddenly surges forward, away from the lion's mouth. Then the solo quartet brings light at 'Sed signifer sanctus Michael'. The movement ends with a vigorous fugue on 'Quam olim Abrahae promisisti': the promise was given, and the choir holds on to it.
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.
You are here
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.
Open movement
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
The lion's mouth is a biblical image of destruction. Tartarus is Greek mythology inside a Latin service. Michael the standard-bearer is the guide of souls.
The 'Quam olim Abrahae' fugue returns note for note at the end of the Hostias. Mozart marked it that way in the manuscript: 'Quam olim da Capo'.
In the service the Offertory is the moment when bread and wine are brought to the altar. Hence the words: not about judgement but about what we offer for the dead.
For the first time since the Introitus, choir and solo quartet sing in the same movement: the soloists enter at "Sed signifer sanctus Michael".