Missa pro defunctis (Requiem)

Abstract

In addition to his wind chamber music and theoretical treatises, Anton Reicha (1770–1836) wrote numerous choral compositions, including a thirteen-movement Missa pro defunctis. This Requiem, composed by the teacher of Berlioz years before the latter wrote his Grande messe des morts, is missing the final “Cum sanctis” fugue of its manuscript score. However, in his Traité de haute composition musicale, Reicha uses a “Cum sanctis” fugue as an example of fugal writing for chorus and orchestra. The choral and string parts of this fugue match the extant string and choral manuscript parts of the Requiem. Therefore, the missing portion of this Missa pro defunctis has been supplied from Reicha's own treatise. Commentary on the Requiem includes performance suggestions based on concepts discussed by Reicha in his four major theoretical treatises.