Evening star., 1899-02-04
NERDrS REQUIEM.
The Choral Society Will Present 1t
the Last OF This Month.

sHe h'-asa VI HIS f1obth.
The fame of Verdi rests almost entirely
on his operas. OF these he has written
twenty-eight, and, besides but twenty
songs, string quartet (his only published
work for instruments without voice. and
an Ave Mar a. Paternoster and the Man
zoni Requiem. The criticism of the last is
that it is an opera for the church. Certain
it is that, while confined to the sacred
words of the mass, it is essentially dra-
matte in Its expression of the dreadful
realities of the passion and Judgment The
genius of Verdi devoted to the expression
of earthly passions loses none of its in
tensity, while gaining immensely in exalta-
ton.
The question is often asked under what
conditions the composer of operas turned
his attention to sacred work. Upon the
death of Rossini, November i, 1868, Verdi
conceived the idea of original requiem
in his honor. To express the national
mourning more comp -etely, he proposed
that the chief Italian composers should
each write one of the thirteen parts of the
work. These were duly ASSIGNED and the
work written, the last mum ar being APP
propriately assigned to Verdi. 1t is a curl
Gus commentary on the state of music in
Italy at that time that scarcely one of his
associates can now be recalled, outside of
Italy, any one of their works named
They were BuZZola, BaZzni, Pedrotti, Gag
nOni, Ricci Mini, BOucherun, Coccia, Gas
pari. Platania. Petrella and Mabellini. In
spite of the care with which the plan was
developed, the work was never performed
and the manuscript returned to the various
composers. Upon the death of Alessandro
Manzoni, poet and patriot, Verdi deter
mined to write hin self a complete requiem,
and, getting out again this last movement
c'Libera me'D, ne wrote all the other num-
bers, writing to the syndic of Milan the
following characteristic letter:
Most IllusJrious Lord Syndic: No thanks
are due to me, either from yourself or from
the council, for the offer which l have
made n write a funeral fnr ba an
niversary of Manzoni- 1t is an impulse, or,
to speak more correctly, desire of my
heart, which impe.s me to honor, as far
lies in my power, this great man, whom |
esteemed so much as a writer and ven
Grated as man, and who was a model of
virtue and patriotism
when the musical work is sufficiently
advanced. | Will not fail to let you know
the conditions which will be necessary in
order to make the execution worthy both
of the country and Of the man whose loss
we deplore.
With the deepest esteem and considera-
ton, 1 have the honor to be, most illustri-
Gus syndic, your very devoted
&c. VERDI
SAINT -Agata June o, 1873"
The municipal council drew up an ad-
dress of thanks and resolved that the first
performance should be at the public ex-
penSe. while Verdi undertook to secure the
voluntary services of the greatest artists in
Italy for its rendition. The performance
was given at the Church of San Marco on
May 22 1874, in the presence of audi
ence gathered from the musical elect of all
Europe. The soloists were Mines. Stolz and
Waldman and MN. Capponi and Maini,
with an orchestra of one hundred and a
chorus of a hundred and twenty, all under
the direction of the COMPOSER.
SO intense was the interest that three
additional performances were Immediately
given in La Scala a Milan under condi-
tions where the enthusiasm of the audience
could have free vent in applause. A Milan
paper, II Sole, says:
AT the Agnus Del the applause grew
louder and suppressed shouts broke out
during the performance powerful
the inspiration which ii revealed. The pub
lie, although they had eXacted the repeti-
tion of the two preceding pieces, and al
though consideration for the artists warned
them not to insist upon it in this case,
could not refrain from unanimously crying
out, Bis 1t was so overwhelming a de-
monstration that Verdi could do no less
than obey with courtesy"
The solosts refused any compensation for
their first performance, and such was the
success of the others that all the expenses
of the municipality incurred in presenting
the first, about S1,400, We're repaid from
the profits Of the later presentations.
1t was at once given in Paris. again un-
der the composers direction and with the
same results.
Since then all the musical centers of the
world have heard it. In this country it
has taken its place as a standard work in
the repertory of the leading vocal socie-
ties, having been heard in New York, Bos-
ton, Cincinnati, Cleveland. Pittsburg New
Haven and at the Worcester and Spring
field festivals.
The Choral Society will present it on
February 2S, with an unusual chorus of
nearly 200, with the aid of an excellent
quartet of soloists, two of whom are from
the choir of st. Patrick's Cathedral in New
York, where special familiarity has TO be
gained with works of this character.