AES130 Lacrimosa

“As death is the true goal of our existence, I have formed during the last few years such close relationships with this best and truest friend of mankind that death's image is not only no longer terrifying to me, but is indeed very soothing and consoling.” -Mozart-

Genius is a word that applies to very few individuals in history, one of which is undeniably Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Still known all over the world centuries after he died, he was a musical prodigy even from his childhood, until his untimely death at the young age of 35. But he did not waste his limited time on Earth, Mozart composed countless beautiful symphonies and musical pieces that cemented his permanent place in history.

What I’m going to discuss with you today is the last piece of music he composed before he died, the hauntingly beautiful ‘Lacrimosa (Requiem)’. It was a piece commissioned by a wealthy count, as Mozart’s health started slowly deteriorating. He worked tirelessly for months composing Lacrimosa, believing that in the end, it would be a requiem for himself. 

“The taste of death is on my lips, I taste something that is not of this Earth”

Mozart composed this as he lay sick and dying on his deathbed, while being consumed by high fevers and chills. And unfortunately, death took him before he could truly finish his final composition. He had already created 8 measures, the Requiem and the Kyrie. Voices and bass are still an outline at this point, but he entrusted them to his students to finish, the day before he would pass away. 

Lacrimosa is a dark and hauntingly beautiful lament of a man facing death, with soft melodies full of melancholy and reverence for the unknown. A confession and a plea for forgiveness, it is certainly one of the most fascinating pieces of music in history. 

“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.”

-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-