Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Britten's War Requiem

Continuing with things November, I thought I'd see what I could dig up Requiem-wise on YouTube.

Benjamin Britten's War Requiem is not a liturgical piece of music. A pacifist, Britten interpolated a number of secular/political texts into his work, which was written around the time of World War II. Nevertheless, this piece is a fantastic testament to the inspiration which the liturgy has provided for art down through the centuries.

This Dies Irae is absolutely spine-tingling. Perhaps this can serve as a prototype for future compositions. We need new, daring liturgical music compositions. (Being more daring is something I'd like to improve upon in my own work--but not for its own sake, of course.)

Well, here ya go.

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