Overview
Introduction
The Grande Messe des morts (or Requiem), Op. 5, by Hector Berlioz was composed in 1837. The Grande Messe des Morts is one of Berlioz's best-known works, with a tremendous orchestration of woodwind and brass instruments, including four antiphonal offstage brass ensembles placed at the corners of the concert stage. The work derives its text from the traditional Latin Requiem Mass. It has a duration of approximately ninety minutes, although there are faster recordings of under seventy-five minutes.
History
In 1837, Adrien de Gasparin, the Minister of the Interior of France, asked Berlioz to compose a Requiem Mass to remember soldiers who died in the Revolution of July 1830. Berlioz accepted the request, having already wanted to compose a large orchestral work. Meanwhile, the orchestra was growing in size and quality, and the use of woodwinds and brass was expanding due to the increasing ease of intonation afforded by modern instruments. Berlioz later wrote, "if I were threatened with the destruction of the whole of my works save one, I should crave mercy for the Messe des morts."
The premiere was conducted by François Antoine Habeneck on 5 December 1837 in commemoration of General Damrémont and the soldiers killed in the Siege of Constantine. In his autobiographical Mémoires, Berlioz claimed that Habeneck put down his baton during the dramatic Tuba mirum (part of the Dies irae movement) while he took a pinch of snuff, prompting the composer to rush to the podium to conduct the rest of the work himself, thereby saving the performance from disaster. The premiere was a complete success.
Berlioz revised the work twice in his life, first in 1852, making the final revisions in 1867, only two years before his death.
Structure
Berlioz's Requiem has ten movements, and the structure is as follows:
- Introit
- 1. Requiem aeternam & Kyrie: Introitus
- Sequence
- 2. Dies irae: Prosa, Tuba mirum
- 3. Quid sum miser
- 4. Rex tremendae
- 5. Quaerens me
- 6. Lacrimosa
- Offertory
- 7. Domine Jesu Christe
- 8. Hostias
- 9. Sanctus
- 10. Agnus Dei
Music
The Requiem opens with rising scales in the strings, horns, oboes, and cor anglais preceding the choral entry. The first movement contains the first two sections of the music for the Mass (the Introit and the Kyrie).
The Sequence commences in the second movement, with the Dies irae portraying Judgement Day. There are three choral sections each followed by a modulation to the next section. Following the third modulation, the four brass ensembles at the corners of the stage first appear with a fortissimo E-flat major chord, later joined by sixteen timpani, two bass drums, and four tam-tams. The loud flourish is followed by the choral entry, "Tuba mirum", a powerful unison statement by the chorus basses at the top of their register, followed by the rest of the choir. There is a recapitulation of the fanfare, heralding the coming of the Last Judgment ("Judex ergo") by the full choir in canon at the octave. The choir whispers with woodwinds and strings to end the movement.
The third movement, Quid sum miser, is short, depicting after Judgement Day, featuring an orchestration of TTB chorus, two cors anglais, eight bassoons, cellos, and double basses. The Rex tremendae features the second entry of the brass choirs, and contains contrasting dynamics from the choir. Quaerens me is a quiet a cappella movement.
The sixth movement, Lacrimosa, is in 9/8 time signature, concluding the Sequence section of the Mass, is the only movement written in recognizable sonata form. The dramatic effect of this movement is heightened by the gradual addition of the massed brass and percussion.
The seventh movement begins the Offertory. Domine Jesu Christe opens as a quiet orchestral fugue based on a quasi-modal motif in D minor. The fugue is overlaid with a repeated three-note motif: A, B-flat, and A from the choir, pleading for mercy at the judgment. The choral statements of this motive interweave with the developing orchestral texture for about ten minutes almost to the end, which concludes peacefully. The concluding part of the Offertory, the Hostias, is short and scored for the male voices, eight trombones, three flutes, and strings.
The ninth movement, the Sanctus, in D-flat, employs a solo tenor voice accompanied by long held notes from the flute and muted strings. Hushed women's voices echo the solo lines. A brisk fugue for full choir and orchestra ("Hosanna in excelsis") follows. The whole is repeated with the addition of pianissimo cymbal and bass drum to the Sanctus and a much expanded Hosanna fugue. Berlioz suggested that the solo part could be sung by ten tenors. The final movement, containing the Agnus Dei and Communion sections of the Mass, features long held chords by the woodwinds and strings. The movement recapitulates melodies and effects from previous movements including the Hostias and the Introit.
Lyrics
柏辽兹《安魂曲》歌词
邹仲之 译
【说明】法国作曲家柏辽兹（Heetor Berlioz 1803－69）的《安魂曲（Requiem）》（Op.5）作于1837年，歌词采用罗马天主教会确定的为死者作追思弥撒时唱的拉丁文圣诗，作曲家略作了调整。除第九乐章为男高音与合唱队共同演唱外，余均为合唱。可参阅莫扎特《安魂曲》的注释。此译文曾刊登于三联《爱乐》2005年第2期，并被收入邹仲之编译《欧洲声乐作品译文集（二）布兰诗歌——欧洲大型声乐作品名作选》（上海音乐学院出版社2011年出版）。
1．安魂咏与慈悲经
主啊，让他们永远安息，
让永恒的光照耀他们。
啊，上帝，在锡安你会受到赞颂，
在耶路撒冷你会受到尊崇。
倾听我的祈祷吧。
所有的人将来到你的面前。
主啊，让离去的人永远安息，
让永恒的光照耀他们。
主，赐予怜悯。
基督，赐予怜悯。
主，赐予怜悯。
2．震怒之日
在震怒之日
世界将化为灰烬，
大卫和西比曾这样预言。
当审判之日来临，
对一切严格地衡量，
世界会怎样颤栗。
号角把可畏的声音
传扬到大地上所有的坟墓，
把全部灵魂召唤到宝座面前。
当人类站在审判者面前，
坦白自己的行为，
死神和人性会不胜惊愕。
写就的书将会带来，
里面包含了一切
审判世界的依据。
当审判者就坐，
所有隐瞒的事情将得揭露，
一切将会得到清算。
当人类站在审判者面前，
坦白自己的行为，
死神和人性会不胜惊愕。
3．我这不幸的人
那时我这不幸的人将述说什么？
当即使正直的人也难得平安，
我将向哪一位保护者祈求？
仁慈的耶稣，请记得
我是你曾降临人世的原因，
在那一天不要遗弃我。
我下跪向你祈求，
我悔悟的心已碾作灰尘，
在最后的时辰帮助我吧。
4．威严的君王
威严的君王，
你宽宏地拯救值得解救之人，
拯救我吧，仁慈的源泉。
仁慈的耶稣，请记得
我是你曾降临人世的原因，
在那一天不要遗弃我。
从罪人中，从受诅咒者中，
从要抛入火焰的人们中，
从深渊中，招回我，
从狮子的口中拯救我，
不要让我堕入黑黯，
不要让地狱吞噬我。
威严的君王，
你宽宏地拯救值得解救之人，
拯救我吧，仁慈的源泉。
5．寻找我
你曾疲倦地降临大地寻找我，
你曾背负十字架拯救我，
这样的艰辛不可以是徒劳。
复仇的正义审判，
在清算的日子之前
请赐予宽恕的礼物。
我呻吟，我是有罪的人：
啊，上帝，宽恕这哀求者。
你曾疲倦地降临大地寻找我，
你曾背负十字架拯救我，
这样的艰辛不可以是徒劳。
虽然我的祈求没有价值，
但是你心怀善良怜悯，
不要让我在永恒的火焰中灼烧。
你曾宽免马利亚，
你曾留意倾听盗贼，
你也曾赐予我希望。
把我放入你的羊群中，
把我和山羊分开，
让我站立在你的右手旁。
6．落泪之日
那一天将充满泪水，
有罪的人从尘埃中升起，
来到审判者面前。
仁慈的主耶稣，
请赐予他们永远安息。
那一天将充满泪水，
有罪的人从尘埃中升起，
来到审判者面前。
7．奉献经
主耶稣基督，
荣耀之王，
请拯救所有死者的灵魂
脱离地狱的痛苦
和无底的深渊。
请拯救他们，
让圣米迦勒天使
引导他们进入圣光，
如同你对亚伯拉罕
和他的子孙所作的许诺，
主耶稣基督。
阿门。
8．牺牲与祈祷
我们赞颂你，我们奉献
牺牲与祈祷。
为了今日我们纪念的灵魂，
请予接受吧。
9．圣哉经
圣哉，圣哉，圣哉，
万军的上帝。
天国和大地
充满你的荣耀。
和散那至高无上。
10．上帝的羔羊
上帝的羔羊，
带走了世人的罪孽，
请赐予他们永远安息。
啊，上帝，在锡安你会受到赞颂，
在耶路撒冷你会受到尊崇。
倾听我们的祈祷吧。
所有的人将来到你的面前。
主啊，让离去的人永远安息，
让永恒的光照耀他们。
主和圣徒们永在，
因你心怀怜悯。
阿门。
