Requiem (Gabriel Fauré)

Gabriel Fauré wrote this, the best-known of his large-scale choral works, between 1887 and 1890. Although his parents died in 1885 and 1887, he disclaimed any connection and declared it was “composed for nothing … for fun, if I may be permitted to say so”.

The text is based on the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead, with some omissions and amendments. To this he added the motet Pie Jesu and two texts from the Order of Burial, Libera me and In Paradisum.

I. INTROITUS – KYRIE
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine	Rest eternal give them, Lord,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.	and let light always shine on them.
Te decet hymnus, Deus in Sion	It is right to hymn you, God, in Sion
et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem.	and to you will be made a vow in Jerusalem.
Exaudi orationem meam, ad te omnis caro veniet.	Hear my prayer, to you all flesh will come.
Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison.	Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, lord have mercy.
II. OFFERTORIUM
O Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex Gloriae	O lord, Jesus Christ, king of glory
libera animas defunctorum	free the souls of the dead
de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu.	from the punishment of hell and the deep pit.
O Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex Gloriae	O Lord Jesus Christ, king of glory,
libera animas defunctorum de ore leonis	deliver the dead souls from the mouth of the lion,
ne absorbeat eus Tartarus ne cadant in obscurum.	so they are not swallowed by hell and do not fall into darkness.
Hostias et preces tibi Domine, laudis offerimus	Sacrifices and prayers to you, lord, with praise we offer
tu suscipe pro animabus illis	receive them for those souls
quarum hodie memoriam facimus	whom today we remember.
Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam	Make them, lord, from death cross over to life
Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini eus.	as once to Abraham you promised and to his seed.
III. SANCTUS
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth	Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts
pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua	full are the heavens and earth with the glory of you
hosanna in excelsis.	hosanna in the highest.
IV. PIE JESU
Pie Jesu, Domine, dona eis requiem	Merciful Jesus, Lord, give them rest
dona eis requiem sempiternam requiem	give them rest, eternal rest.
V. AGNUS DEI
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi	Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
dona eis requiem.	give them rest.
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine	Let light eternal shine on them, lord,
Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,	with your saints for eternity,
quia pius es	for you are merciful.
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine,	give them eternal rest, lord,
et lux perpetua luceat eis	and let light always shine on them.
VI. LIBERA ME
Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna	Free me, lord, from death eternal
in die illa tremenda	on that day of dread
quando coeli movendi sunt et terra	when the heavens will be shaken and the earth
dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem	while you come to judge the world with fire.
Tremens factus sum ego et timeo	I am made to shake, and am afraid
dum discussio venerit atque ventura ira	awaiting the trial and the coming anger.
Dies illa, dies irae, calamitatis et miseriae	That day, day of anger, of calamity and misery,
calamitatis et miseriae
dies illa, dies magna et amara valde.	that day, the day of great and exceeding bitterness,
Requiem aeternam …	(reprise of the introit)
VII. IN PARADISUM
In Paradisum deducant Angeli	Into paradise may angels draw them,
in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres	on your arrival, may the martyrs receive you
et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem	and lead you into the holy city Jerusalem.
Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat	May the chorus of angels receive you,
et cum Lazaro quondam paupere	and with Lazarus, once a beggar,
aeternam habeas requiem	may you have eternal rest.

Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison. A transliteration of the greek prayer Κύριε ἐλέησον, Χριστὲ ἐλέησον, Κύριε ἐλέησον.

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December 1999: the first half of the first concert by what would later become known as The Sacred Wing was a performance of Fauré’s Requiem. My friend Ian B, an intelligent and privately-educated man, came up to me during the interval and said “That was lovely. What was it about?”

We'd chosen the work because we thought it was well-known, and anyway everybody would know what a requiem was and think it appropriate for a concert so near World Aids Day. A reminder, if one were needed, of the dangers of making assumptions. Since then I've always included a translation of anything non-english when putting programme notes together (here's a pdf of the programme for Sacred Wing's 2004 performance), and I suppose that ultimately you've got Ian to thank for this blog.