Requiem (Jón Leifs)

Requiem, Op. 33b, is a short a cappella choral piece by Icelandic composer Jón Leifs (1899–1968), dedicated to the memory of his daughter who drowned in a swimming accident shortly before her 18th birthday. The piece has only the name in common with the traditional Latin Mass for the dead. It is composed to a text which is a collage of Icelandic folk poetry and selections from a poem by Jónas Hallgrímsson. The music has the character of a lullaby and together with the text evokes the idea of a parent singing to a sleeping child. The piece is composed around an open fifth between A and E and constantly alternates between major and minor, ”giving it a serene halo mixing a sense of mystery, sadness and utter serenity“.[1] Requiem is one of Leifs’ best-known compositions and contrasts with his general output, which is often described as "ungainly" and "dissonant".[2]

References

  1. "Jón Leifs". The Flying Inkpot. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  2. Alex Ross (29 February 1996). "Passion by Way of Iceland And the Idiosyncratic". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 October 2013.


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