Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in the middle of the night while working on his Requiem Mass in D minor. The piece had been commissioned anonymously by count Franz von Walsegg, who wanted a tribute for his wife who had recently passed. Mozart had received half of the payment in advance; and, when he died before its completion, his wife Constanze was keen to get the final payment; so she secretly found other composers to complete the piece. Joseph von Eybler and Franz Xaver Süssmayr each had a hand in the final product that was delivered in Mozart's name. Walsegg was known to pass off commissioned works as his own; but he was thwarted when it was performed publicly for Constanze. There is a great degree of controversy surrounding Mozart's death. Officially, it was called severe miliary fever; but theories range from kidney disease to trichinosis to influenza to mercury poisoning to rheumatic fever. His 'Requiem' endures as a passionate and personal reflection of his own mortality. The mysterious circumstances around his death have only increased its mystique.
One of the myths surrounding the 'Requiem' suggests that Antonio Salieri commissioned the piece and had a hand in Mozart's death.
The Sussmayr completion of the Requiem is divided into fourteen movements, with the following structure:
Bars 1–5 of the Lacrimosa
I. Introitus: Requiem aeternam (choir and soprano solo)
II. Kyrie eleison (choir)
III. Sequentia (text based on sections of the Dies Irae):
Dies irae (choir)
Tuba mirum (soprano, contralto, tenor and bass solo)
Rex tremendae majestatis (choir)
Recordare, Jesu pie (soprano, contralto, tenor and bass solo)
Confutatis maledictis (choir)
Lacrimosa dies illa (choir)
IV. Offertorium:
Domine Jesu Christe (choir with solo quartet)
Versus: Hostias et preces (choir)
V. Sanctus:
Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth (choir)
Benedictus (solo quartet, then choir)
VI. Agnus Dei (choir)
VII. Communio:
Lux aeterna (soprano solo and choir)
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