Requiem for Mignon
Requiem for Mignon (German: Requiem für Mignon) is a six part musical composition by Robert Schumann for a choir and orchestra.[1] The work was originally made in 1849 and first played in 1851. The work is 13 minutes long.[2]
| by Robert Schumann | |
 | |
| English | Requiem for Mignon |
|---|---|
| Key | C minor |
| Opus | 98b |
| Period | Romantic |
| Genre | Requiem |
| Composed | 1849 |
| Movements | 3 |
| Scoring | Chorus & Orchestra |
| Premiere | |
| Date | November 21, 1851 |
Development
Schumann was interested in Goethe's Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre. Schuman was especially interested in a character named Mignon, a young woman created out of incest. The year of the requiem's creation was exactly 100 years after Goethe's birth, and Schumann noted this in several of his writings.[3]
Schumann made the requiem on July 2 and 3, 1849 and completed its orchestration in September of the same year. The requiem was first played in a concert for Düsseldorf Allgemeiner Musikverein on November 21, 1951.[3]
Content
Requiem for Mignon shows only Mignon's funeral at the end of the book. This is different than other requiems.[4]
Schumann ends the requiem before Mignon's past is found out. [3]
Structure
The work has of 6 parts that play without stopping:
- Langsam - C minor - Chorus
- Etwas bewegter - C minor - Soprano and Alto
- Lebhaft -C major - Chorus
- Feierlich, doch nicht zu langsam - F major - Chorus
- Die Viertel wie vorher die Halben - C major - Bass
- Lebhaft - C major - Chorus
Notable performances
Notable performances of the work include:
- Bernhard Klee, Conductor Schumann - Requiem Op.148, Requiem Für Mignon Op.98b + P° (reference recording: Bernhard Klee)
- Chamber Orchestra of Europe, January 1, 1992 Schumann: Requiem für Mignon, Op. 98b - I. Langsam feierlich Schumann: Requiem für Mignon, Op. 98b - VI. Lebhaft
- Michael Corboz, Conductor, 1998 Schumann : Requiem for Mignon Op.98b
- William Dazeley, Conductor, January 1, 2010. Schumann: Requiem für Mignon aus Goethes "Wilhelm Meister", Op.98b For Soloists, Chorus And...
- Conservatory of Innsbruch Choir, January 1, 2011 Schumann - Requiem für Mignon Op. 98B
References
- ↑ Papanikolaou, Eftychia (September 2010). "Whose Mourning? Schumann's Die Requiem für Mignon". The Choral Journal. 51 (2): 18–30. JSTOR 23559984.
- ↑ "Requiem für Mignon, Op.98b (Schumann, Robert) - IMSLP". imslp.org. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Meconi, Honey. "Robert Schumann—Choral Music: Requiem for Mignon :: The Choral Singer's Companion". thechoralsingerscompanion.com. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
- ↑ Weeks, Chris (2017-06-19). "Requiem für Mignon". The Art of Listening. Retrieved 2024-06-13.