- Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Holy, holy, holy, Full ensemble, trumpets and timpani. There has been no light like this so far.
- Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Lord God of hosts.
- Pleni sunt coeli et terra Heaven and earth are full
- gloria tua. of your glory.
- Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest. A short fugue on "Hosanna". It breaks off before it develops.
Now singing
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Orchestra only, no words
Sounding
Manuscript: the Sanctus in Süssmayr's hand
Leaf 45 of the score handed to the patron. No notes by Mozart for the Sanctus are known, so Süssmayr wrote the whole page. Compare it with Mozart's working pages: here every staff is filled.
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The heading and the tempo. The whole score for the patron had to look like the work of one hand, so Süssmayr imitated Mozart's manner.
Violins and violas marked 'for': rapid upward rushes after each chord of the choir.
'Clarini' and 'Timpani': trumpet calls and timpani rolls from the first bar. For the first time in the work they sound festive rather than menacing.
Three broad chords from the choir, each in its own bar, then 'Dominus Deus Sabaoth' and 'Pleni sunt coeli'.
Under the bass, harmony figures for the organist, as in Mozart's manuscripts.
About
D major, trumpets, timpani: for the first time, real light. Süssmayr wrote this movement on his own, and it is the one most often called the weakest in the work.
After the muted colours of the Offertorium, trumpets and timpani suddenly enter and the choir proclaims 'Sanctus' three times in broad chords. A few bars of praise follow at 'Pleni sunt coeli', then straight away a quick fugue on 'Hosanna in excelsis'. The fugue has barely begun to unfold before it ends, so the whole movement is over in a minute and a half.
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.
You are here
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
"Sabaoth" and "Hosanna" are Hebrew words left untranslated. The threefold "holy" comes from the vision of the prophet Isaiah.
After the Benedictus the "Hosanna" fugue returns not in D major, as here, but in B flat major, the key of the Benedictus. A ritual repeat should sound the same, so later editions correct this.
For the first time in the work we hear D major: the same home note as the D minor of the opening, but in light.
One of the shortest movements of the Requiem, about a minute and a half. No sketches by Mozart for it have been found.