REQUIEM, WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART, K. 626

Composed in 1791 on a commission from a Count Walsegg and left unfinished, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’sRequiem massis certainly the most famous setting of the 18th century and a favorite concert work for chorus. It is scored for four soloists (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), four-voiced chorus, and symphony orchestra, and requires something under one hour to perform.

Mozart’s autograph score gives us only a fully orchestratedIntroitand vocal score with figured bass and indications of orchestration for the Kyrie and some parts of thesequence. Contributions to the score after his death were made by two of Mozart’s students, Joseph Eybler (1765–1846), who orchestrated some movements, and Franz Xaver Süssmayr (1766–1803), who seems to have composed the Sanctus-Benedictus and filled out the rest. How much each man followed Mozart’s instructions, if any existed, exactly what was written by each, as well as the merits of such contributions have long been controverted, and there are competing editions, although the Süssmayr completion published by Breitkopf and Härtel is the one traditionally performed.