Requiem. The RC Mass for the Dead (Lat. Missa pro defunctis) beginning ‘Requiem aeternam’ (Rest eternal). Text follows that of normal Mass but with Gloria and Credo omitted and Dies Irae added. There are many mus. settings, from the traditional plainsong to elaborate versions more suitable for concert perf. than for liturgical use, e.g. those by Berlioz and Verdi. Other notable settings are by Palestrina, Mozart (incomplete), Fauré, and Dvořák. A typical disposition of the text in these large settings is: 1. Requiem aeternam; Kyrie eleison; 2. Dies Irae (Day of Wrath) divided into Tuba mirum (Hark, the trumpet), Liber scriptus (A book is written), Quid sum miser (How wretched am I), Rex tremendae (King of glory), Recordare (Remember), Ingemisco (Sadly groaning), Confutatis (From the accursed), Lacrimosa (Lamentation); 3. Domine Jesu Christe (Lord Jesus Christ); 4. Sanctus (Holy); 5. Agnus Dei (Lamb of God); 6. Lux aeterna (Eternal light); 7. Libera me (Deliver me). This is Verdi's scheme: there are several variations of it. Not all Requiem settings follow the Lat. text. Brahms's Ein Deutsches Requiem uses texts from the Ger. Bible. Delius's Requiem is a setting of a text by H. Simon and was described as ‘pagan’. Hindemith's setting of Whitman's poem ‘When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd’ is of the character of a Requiem. Britten's War Requiem uses the Lat. Mass interspersed with poems by Wilfred Owen. Geoffrey Burgon's Requiem also uses several sources. The term is occasionally used in other contexts as in Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem for orch.

requiem (rĕk´wēəm, rē´–, rā´–) [Lat.,=rest], proper Mass for the souls of the dead, performed on All Souls' Day and at funerals. The reformation of Roman Catholic liturgy following the Second Vatican Council (see Vatican Council, Second) has modified the traditional requiem, and it is now called the Funeral Mass, Mass for the Dead, or Mass of Christian Burial. Black vestments are no longer required, white or purple may be worn, and flowers are permitted. The hymnody, while still solemn in tone, is often joyful and reflects hope in the resurrection and the service is conducted in the vernacular. Its peculiarities include omission of the Gloria, the creed, and the blessing of the people. The famous sequence, the Dies irae, is now optional. The opening words of the introit, "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them," echo through all the prayers for the dead. The traditional Gregorian musical setting of the requiem is quite beautiful; other requiem music has been written (e.g., by Mozart and Verdi), but it is not often heard in churches.

Requiem (Lat., ‘rest’). A mass offered for the dead. The opening words of the introit, which until recently began all such masses in the Roman rite, are: Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine (‘Lord, grant them eternal rest’). The 1970 missal embodies a complete revision of these masses, and many of their previously distinctive characteristics, e.g. the requirement of black vestments, have disappeared.

req·ui·em / ˈrekwēəm; ˈrā-/ • n. (also req·ui·em mass) (esp. in the Roman Catholic Church) a Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead. ∎  a musical composition setting parts of such a Mass, or of a similar character. ∎  an act or token of remembrance: he designed the epic as a requiem for his wife.

requiem Mass for the departed XIV. — L. requiem, acc. of requiēs rest, first word of the introit of the Mass, ‘Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine’ Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord; see RE-, QUIET.

requiem (especially in the Roman Catholic Church) a Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead. Recorded from Middle English, the word comes from Latin (the first word of the Mass), accusative of requies ‘rest’.

requiem Solemn choral service for the dead sung in Roman Catholic Churches. Mozart, Verdi, and Berlioz (among many others) composed requiems.

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