description Herbert Howells – Requiem Overview
Herbert Howells's Requiem is an unaccompanied choral work for divided mixed voices, composed in the 1930s but not published until 1980. Rather than setting the complete Roman Catholic Requiem Mass, it combines passages from the Latin liturgy with English biblical texts, including psalm verses and words from Revelation. Several of its musical ideas later reappeared in Hymnus Paradisi, Howells's larger memorial work for soloists, chorus, and orchestra.
help Herbert Howells – Requiem FAQ
When was Herbert Howells's Requiem composed?
Howells composed the Requiem in the 1930s, but it was not published until 1980. The long gap between composition and publication is an important part of the work's history.
Is Herbert Howells's Requiem a complete Catholic Mass for the Dead?
No. It combines selected Latin liturgical passages with English biblical texts rather than setting the complete Roman Catholic Requiem Mass.
Is Howells's Requiem accompanied by an orchestra?
No. It is an unaccompanied choral work for divided mixed voices, so the singers provide the musical texture without instrumental support.
What languages are used in Howells's Requiem?
The work combines Latin from the liturgy with English biblical texts. This mixture gives the piece a broader textual range than a setting limited to the traditional Latin Mass.
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