Although Requiem was a religious work, it was presented more in concert halls than in churches. Giuseppe Verdi wrote the famous Requiem in honour of his close friend, Alessandro Manzoni, the great Italian poet, writer, and humanist, who died in 1873. It is a powerful fusion of intense drama and passion, with moments of reverent simplicity. Verdi conducted the first performance at St. Mark's Church in Milan on May 22, 1874, the first anniversary of Manzoni's death. Revolutionary composition Verdi's Requiem has been revolutionary in two respects: First, because while the traditional requiem is a prayer of the living for the dead, Verdi's work was a function as much for the living as for the dead. As Verdi would expect, it's a dramatic, theatrical play. Written for four solo voices (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and bass) with full choir and orchestra, it follows the typical Roman Catholic Latin mass for the dead. The "libretto" certainly comes from the dram
Handel - Concerti Grossi No. 1-4, Op. 3
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Handel was an eccentric composer, preferring the passionate cheers of a full opera room, rather than the polite applause of a palace hall. Maybe because chamber music didn't fit his temperament, he didn't compose many such works.
These four concertos (from a group of six) came from a combination of works composed in 1734 to celebrate the wedding of Princess Anne, the daughter of King George II, Handel's employer. At the time, Handel was going through a critical period in his career as an opera impresario, due to the diminishing interest of his audience and the cancellation of lucrative contracts. Probably the composer published the concertos for financial reasons.
Concerto Grosso No.1:
However, these works in no way give the impression of accidental collation for speculative reasons, but instead have grace and are real works of art, which only imperceptibly testify to their true origin - from earlier compositions.
For example, the third part of concerto No. 2 - the fugue - first appeared in the introduction of Brockes Passion, in 1716. In addition, some parts were first tested as add ons in some of Handel's operas - the Fourth was used in 1726 in Ottone. All these loans were accepted by the composers of that era, who treated the concerto as a field of experimentation, where new ideas were mixed with old, established forms.
Concerto Grosso No. 2:
The concertos include in the combination of various parts some sparkling musical diamonds. Like Largo, from No. 2, which beguiles the listener with his slow lull, which is performed by two cellos as we hear at the same time the slow and rhythmic interpretation of violins and viola as a musical background. And the ethereal notes of the chirping in Sarabande of the First, which project above the accompaniment of bassoon and strings, creating sound effects unlike the usual competition of the soloist and accompaniment htat characterized the concerto for more than a hundred years.
Concerto Grosso No. 3:
The concertos were first presented between March 1735 and February 1736 and were named "Concertos for oboe" by handel's publisher, John Welsh. This name was probably attributed to them for purely promotional reasons, because listening to the concertos one realizes that the oboe never leads!
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