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Giacomo Puccini (sr.)
1712 - 1781
Italy
Giacomo Puccini (sr.) (1712 - 05/1781), an Italian composer of mainly operas, born in Lucca.
(Don't confuse this Giacomo Puccini with the Giacomo Puccini, the great 19th/20th century composer of Tosca and Madama Butterfly.)
Messa di requiem
Messa di requiem contains:
01. Requiem 02. Kyrie 03. Dies irae 04. Quantus tremor 05. Tuba mirum 06. Mors stupebit 07. Liber scriptus 08. Rex tremendae 09. Juste judex 10. Qui Mariam absolvisti 11. Preces meae 12. Confutatis 13. Oro supplex 14. Lacrimosa 15. Domine Jesu Christi 16. Hostias et preces tibi 17. Sanctus 18. Benedictus 19. Agnus Dei 20. Lux aeterna
Requiem for 8 voices, strings and basso continuo. Length: 53'16.
The music of Giacomo Puccini "the elder" reflects, in a fascinating yet surprising way, many different styles simultaneously. This can be seen in his eight-part Requiem where he is not only a master of double contrapuntal fugues, wherein the melody line and 'soggetti' always mirror the sense of the text. Moreover, Puccini fits his polyphonic lines into an overall structure of two choral groups and orchestra. In contrast to these tutti sections, the solo's and duet's are composed either as a brillant 'concertante' movement or as typical 'galant' piece dominated by flourishing melodic lines which were in fashion in early Classical music. The Requiem ends with an "Agnus Dei" where Puccini employs a great variety of contrapuntal techniques above a 'Cantus Firmus' (the Gregorian chant melody) in the bass parts. With his ability to write in any style, ancient or modern, Puccini seemed to keep but one aesthetical ideal: that of expression, which his pupil Boccherini once described as: "La musica senza affetti, e passioni, è insignificante" ("Music without emotions and passions is useless"). In this respect Puccini exhibits sheer endless inventiveness both in his harmonies, which include daring chromaticism, and melodic writing.
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