Compositional Notes

The overall theme is the death of a loved one.

Requiem is written in two distinct sections connected by a short bridge.

1st section: The scene is of a woman mourning the death of a loved one that she holds in her arms. Her mood is sombre and despairing combined with a feeling of helplessness and tremendous loss.

Bridge: The sense of loss is simply too much. The woman is reduced to shedding uncontrollable tears as she prays for the everlasting soul of the deceased. And yet, she simultaneously curses at the injustice asking hopelessly towards the heavens “how can God be so cruel? How can I believe in something such as this?”

2nd section: As the body is finally laid to rest and the grief subsides, the spirit of the deceased ascends up into paradise.
The mood is that of triumph and hope, that all is not lost, that death is not an ending to fear but a rebirth into the afterlife to await the next phase of life.