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Verdi wrote his Requiem in 1874, when he was sixty-one years old and believed his
career as a composer to be finished. The Libera Me movement, however, had its genesis
some five years earlier, as Verdi’s contribution to a project of his own devising - a Requiem
Mass for Rossini, to be completed by “the most distinguished Italian composers”1 and
which would be performed on the first anniversary of Rossini’s death. The project never
came to fruition, but Verdi revisited the music in 1874 to honour another revered Italian -
the writer and patriot Alessandro Manzoni. The result was his Requiem.
The scale of the Requiem is best described as “operatic”. It calls for a large
orchestra, double choir, and four soloists - each of whom are given extended solos on a
much larger scale than the soloists in, for example, Mozart’s Requiem. The work consists
of seven large movements, based on the texts from the Roman-rite “Mass for the Dead”.
Two of these movements contain fugues - the 4th (Sanctus) and 7th (Libera Me). This
paper examines the structure of these fugues, written approximately 120 years after Bach’s
1 Letter by Verdi published in the Ricordi house journal, the Gazzetta musicale di Milano, 22nd November
1868
The Art of Fugue, and looks at how the fugue had developed, and how it had stayed the
same, since that time.
This is the movement originally intended for inclusion in the Messa di Rossini, and
is thus the oldest movement in the requiem, pre-dating the rest of the mass by five years.
The movement underwent some minor revisions when Verdi revisited it in 1874, but its
overall structure remained the same. It is divided into 5 discrete but linked sections, as
follows:
Although the fugue is a subset of the movement, and therefore could be considered
a fugato section within the movement, it is in fact complete in itself, and has enough
expected) in three main sections: Exposition, Middle Section and Closing Section. The
tonic key for the fugue, as for the whole movement, is c minor, and, although it ends rather
suddenly in C major, this is more in the nature of a Tierce de Picardie than an extended
modulation to the major. Apart from a highly modulatory section in the middle, the tonal
centre is fixed firmly between the tonic and dominant minor keys.
This is a four-voiced fugue, and follows a normal exposition. A modulatory subject
is first stated by the Contraltos in measure 179, and is answered by the Sopranos with a
tonal answer returning the key back to the tonic. (For a complete schematic detailing key
changes, etc, see Appendix A). The Altos continue with a longer countersubject, while the
Bass and Tenor voices enter with Subjects and Answers in tonic and dominant minor keys.
The Bass statement of the countersubject is truncated somewhat to allow all voices to
complete the exposition together, at measure 207, where the last voice in (Tenors) finishes
its statement of the subject. This pattern of entry (high voices followed by low, and vice-
Not so typical of the baroque period are the resources at Verdi’s disposal. Verdi
had considerably expanded the classical orchestra in his operas, and he used similar
forces when composing his Requiem. In the exposition, the orchestra is limited to a
commentary role - although a significant one. Verdi punctuates each statement of the
subject with a powerful orchestral V-I cadence in the appropriate key. Immediately
following the exposition, however, the orchestra rows in with the action - sometimes
doubling the voices, and at other times heading off in directions of their own or providing
In both the Requiem fugues, Verdi primarily relies on false entries - particularly the
head of the subject - for developmental material, although he doesn’t limit himself to
subject material alone either in the middle or closing section. The middle section of the
Libera Me fugue begins with an inverted statement of the subject by the bass voices,
doubled by the bassoons and lower brass instruments. The Sopranos state the head of
By measure 211, however, the subject has been abandoned, and there follows a
short episode. In the alto line, Verdi uses a repeated quarter note motive that echoes the
declamatory section at the opening of the movement, while the Sopranos first state
another new motive (beginning measure 214) that assumes a significance later, particularly
in the closing section. The episode completes at measure 219, when the Sopranos enter
From this point on, Verdi modulates freely, using the head of the subject in both
rectus and its inversion, changing both the key and the mode in which the motive is stated.
The voices enter at (temporal) intervals between 2 and 3 measures, giving a stretto-like
effect that sometimes also weaves in material from the countersubject (e.g., measure 222
in the bass voice). During this very contrapuntal section, Verdi lightens the texture by
dropping the orchestra resources to strings and solo woodwinds, using staccato and
pizzicato throughout both the choral and string lines, only bringing in the full orchestra
colour at measure 233 when the texture has become more homophonic. This serves to
highlight yet another new motive - taken up by the sopranos in measure 233. While based
on the head of the subject, a new rhythm has been applied to it which is itself developed
The fugue’s only middle entry occurs at measure 239 (in the soprano voice),
although more chromatic and in a different mode. This is answered by the bass voices
stating the head of the subject in inversion, and a further stretto-like passage continues. In
measure 258, the altos take up the motive introduced by the sopranos in measure 233,
which serves to introduce the Soprano soloist, making her first entry since the start of the
Fugue. She also uses this motive, but in augmentation, and with an altered final measure.
She states the motive in falling sequences, echoed by the Sopranos in a short canon at
the interval of a fifth. The whole effect is of calming down the frenzy, and the orchestra is
marked “ppp dolcissimo”. The calm does not last for long, however, with the Soprano
echoing the dotted quarter-note motive from the Episode in measure 276 on. This is taken
based on the middle section of the subject, making its first appearance outside the
Exposition. This is then treated in a rising sequence, increasing the tension as the
orchestral resources and general dynamic level is also increased, until a high B natural in
the Soprano voices is reached, which marks the climax of the middle section. It is left to
the choir to bring the middle section to a close in a dramatic diminuendo that concludes
The final section begins in measure 312 in the tonic key, with a series of stretto
entries at one-measure intervals. The orchestral forces are reduced to strings and
woodwind, and the Soprano soloist enters at measure 329 with a melody recalling the
motive introduced during the episode (measure 214). This is treated as a counterpoint to
the stretto entries of the choir, reduced to sixteen voices, and singing sotto voce. By
measure 350, the fugal texture has been considerably simplified, and Verdi introduces a
pedal note in the trumpets, while the choir drops out completely. The texture becomes
immediately much sparser, with fragments of motives being passed between the soloist
Soprano motive in an altered rhythm. This is answered by the other voices and
instruments in a call-and-response format that has the effect of marshalling the resources
for a final climax, which begins at measure 382, “Tutta forza”, an explosion of sound
typical of Verdi’s greatest operatic moments. The climax is reached at measure 392 with a
high C from the soprano. The tutta forza ends in measure 400 with an ambiguous tonic
chord stated as an open 5th. The texture is dramatically reduced, and the tonality is not
resolved until measure 415 when the third of the chord is first stated as E natural - a
sudden, surprising major chord. The movement ends with the Soprano soloist recalling
the declamatory opening section - a final, desperate plea - followed by the choir reinforcing
the tonic while the dynamic drops to “pppp - morendo”. This also ends not just the
movement, but the entire work, which also began with a hushed and muted dynamic.
Thus, Verdi’s monumental work is bookended with the fearful voices of mortals begging for
The “Sanctus”
Although the “Sanctus” appears before the “Libera Me” movement in the structure of
the Requiem mass, Verdi composed the movement five years later, when he revisited the
work. He chose a Fugue to set the text, an unusual decision for a “Sanctus”, and based
the first subject on an inversion of the subject used for the “Libera Me” fugue.
The text comes from the Ordinary of the Mass, and the structured nature of the text
Other settings of the “Sanctus” often involve a homophonic and rather declamatory
setting of the repeated word “Santus”. A fugue is rarely employed for the text, excepting
some settings where the “Hosanna” might be set in an imitative fashion. The “Benedictus”
is frequently set as a separate section, usually more lyrical than the former, followed by a
Although Verdi suggests a traditional response to the text by the opening trumpet
calls (measures 1-8), from measure 9 on, he defies tradition and sets off on his own
inimitable path with a double fugue for 8 voices and full orchestra. The choir is split in two,
with each having its own subjects, answers, and countersubjects. Each voice in both
choirs is paired with a wind or brass instrument, involving the orchestra directly in the
fugue.
Approximately 120 years after Bach wrote the Art of Fugue, the Libera Me fugue is a
textbook example of a fugal exposition, albeit with very different orchestral and choral
resources than Bach had at his disposal. The voices state the subjects and answers from
top to bottom, with the highest voices stating the subject in a tonic key, answered by the
lower voices at the level of the dominant, with the order of entry S-A-T-B.
Subject I has all the attributes of a “good” fugal subject - a head, consisting of a
descending scale from the tonic to the sub-dominant; and a tail with syncopated accents
and final measure based on the chord of V. The first measure of the answer dove-tails
with the final measure of the subject (measure 13), allowing an immediate switch to the
dominant, with the opening motive emphasizing the tonic triad of the new key.
While the alto continues with a real statement of the subject in the dominant key, the
material that is somewhat related to the subject: a descending scale passage (although
this time syncopated), and a similar syncopated motive before the final measure.
However, the countersubject is longer than the subject (8 measures compared with 5 in the
subject), and necessarily more modulatory, as it moves from dominant to tonic and back
again.
The rest of the Choir I exposition continues as expected, Subject I being taken up
by the Tenor and Bass voices in turn, paired with their respective “voices” from the
orchestra; and each continuing with the Countersubject. The Bass voice completes the
Meantime, Choir II have been setting out their own Subject II and Countersubject II
in tandem with the Choir I exposition. The sopranos enter just a measure behind the
similar motive of syncopated accents and a short pedal on the leading note. It is a less
memorable subject than that sung by the Choir I, and, in fact, Verdi abandons it almost
completely after the exposition. However, the Violins play a decorated variant of the
subject in tandem with the Sopranos in measure 10. This is passed down the strings as
the exposition proceeds, and is the only format of the Subject II that survives into the
Choir II also follows a textbook Exposition course - the voices handing down the
Subject and Answer in tonic and dominant, and stating a short Countersubject which
echoes the falling scale of Countersubject I. From measure 25 on, however, the female
voices in Choir II pick up the Choir I subject, as, simultaneously in Choir I, the female
voices pick up the Choir II subject. This is by way of filling in the upper voices while the
lower voices finish out their respective Subjects and Countersubjects - this is completed by
The Middle Section begins on the last measure of the Exposition when the tenors of
Choir II pick up the Subject I head motive in the tonic key - here set to different words and
with an eighth-note upbeat. Verdi then continues to use just the head motive in a quasi-
stretto fashion, and this is passed through different voices in both choirs, remaining firmly
At measure 41, the Choir II Sopranos first state the head motive in d minor, followed
in measure 42 by the Choir I Altos in D major, and a measure later, the Choir I Sopranos in
G major. Also at measure 42, the violins take up the decorated Subject II motive first set
out in measure 10, and this version of Subject II becomes a perpetual motion counterpoint
to the Subject I head motive in the choir. From this point on, the music rarely settles in a
key for more than a measure or two, visiting both related and unrelated keys in rapid
succession. The remainder of the Subject I material is not further developed here. Verdi
relies almost totally on the Subject I head motive as he plays with different tonal colours.
The stretto effect continues with new entries on almost every measure until measure 68,
which marks the climax of the middle section with a tutti orchestra and soprano ff. A new
dotted rhythm marks a transitional passage against a pedal note on F in the high voices
and high-pitched instruments. This signals a return to the tonic key as the texture thins out
Like the Libera Me movement, the closing section of the Sanctus does not include a
complete statement of either subject in the tonic key. Nonetheless, measure 79 marks a
definite return to the tonic key with pedal notes on both tonic and dominant in the horns.
The sopranos use material from Subject I, beginning at measure 2 of that subject, and
Countersubject II, also stated in augmentation. The rest of choir I plays an accompanying
The effect is suddenly serene with a much reduced contrapuntal texture, and the
Drama is added with chromatic rising and falling scales in the orchestra beginning
in measure 119. The choral forces come together at measure 127 leading to the final
climax of the piece at measure 130. A final exclamation in the choir is accompanied by a
syncopated rising scale of F in the orchestra, and the final bars play out as a repeated
tonic chord.
shows a respect for the past and the ability to use old techniques in imaginative and new
ways. In both cases, the subjects are set out in the Exposition much as they would have
been in Bach’s time. All of the subjects evidence characteristics that were considered
desirable for good counterpoint, and he gives examples of both modulatory and non-
modulatory subjects, with both tonal and real answers respectively. The primary key
relationships remain firmly in the tonic and dominant, although his harmonic colour palette
as evidenced by the modulatory sections and the overall harmonic texture is more
extended than would have been the case in Bach’s time. The features of the middle and
But the real Verdi stamp is evidenced not so much in how he had developed the
Fugue, but rather in the scale of the work and the dramatic effects he was able to evince
while still respecting well-established techniques of exposition and development. The size
of the orchestra is the first indication - this was the expanded orchestra of the romantic
period and Verdi made full use of its expressive power. The chorus is also considerably
bigger than the choirs Bach would have used - the Requiem would rarely be performed
with less than 50 voices, and more often 100 or more. Dealing with resources of this size
and manoevering them around highly contrapuntal music presents a new set of challenges
- how to avoid muddying the sound, how to ensure that entries are always clear, and what
to do with the many and varied instrumental and vocal textures at each point in the
and vocal resources, as well as using a dynamic palette that included both extremes of
loud and soft. Where the texture is very contrapuntal, for example in the Sanctus double
fugue exposition, the orchestral resources are thinned out considerably to allow the voices
through. And the large, dramatic, forte sections taken by the tutti orchestra tend to be
more homophonic and more likely to use effects such as augmentation or call-and-
response than highly contrapuntal matter. Verdi also uses the instruments of the orchestra
to pair with certain voices, allowing the orchestra to participate directly in the fugue and
also distinguishing the choral lines by the addition of different instrumental timbres. At
other times, he uses sections of the orchestra in counterpoint with the choir, but only when
either the choral or instrumental resources have been thinned out to allow such
Compared with the fugues in Bach’s six motets, Verdi’s use of melismatic material is
far more restrained. The florid vocal lines in the motets require expert articulation and
simpler melodic material and greater dramatic impact. His treatment of text also indicates
a composer who respected the drama of words and who put his music at the service of the
text without sublimating either. The underlay is much more closely aligned to the music -
the text is almost always treated syllabically, with a few exceptions such as the word
“Gloria” which is easily recognisable and could afford to be treated more liberally. Choral
and operatic singing had changed very considerably from the Baroque era, and the
melismatic qualities required for Italian opera or Bach choirs was no longer in vogue.
There are no extended runs of sixteenth-notes in Verdi’s fugues, and the only extended run
based on eighth-notes is placed where it best belongs - in the strings. This again allows
Verdi to work with a much broader canvas while maintaining the clarity of the texture.
The drama and emotional power of the work is what gives the piece its most
distinctive Verdi stamp, and it shows all the hallmarks of a composer who was at his most
Verdi had access to a large variety of tonal colours and textures, and an undisputed talent
in using these resources to portray different emotions extremely effectively. The terrified
screams of the Dies Irae are contrasted with the grieving of the Lacrimosa, and again with
the serenity of the Lux aeterna. By comparison, the fugues of the Sanctus and the Libera
Me are almost jaunty. And it is this dramatic quality that has also attracted the most
criticism of the work since. Compared with the rather Germanic sense of propriety in
Bach’s liturgical music, or the elegance of Mozart’s, Verdi’s Requiem can be seen as
almost loutish in its use of big resources and its unrestrained passion, unseemly for church
human emotion at its most serene and also at its most vulnerable. But this is also its
strength - and the quality which has ensured its place among the best-loved of his works.
APPENDIX A
SCHEMATIC OF “SANCTUS”
APPENDIX C - SCORE OF “LIBERA ME”
APPENDIX D - SCORE OF “SANCTUS”