Pizzetti Requiem Work

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Volume 4, Number 1 Fall 2014

The Online Journal of the National Collegiate Choral Organization

The

CHO R A L

SCHOLAR

Ildebrando PizzettisMessa di Requiem:

Conservatively Neo-Renaissanceyet Distinctly DramaticTimothy Westerhaus

he Italian music critic Fedele dAmico(1912-1990) admired Chopinssensibility for the piano, Ravels for

the orchestra, and Pizzettis for the chorus.1While Amicos praise for his fellow countrymanmay have been biased by their shared nationalheritage, Ildebrando Pizzettis limited choraloeuvre exhibits traits that sensitively integrateneo-Renaissance techniques with dramaticcontrast, structural pacing, and archaic sonorities.Among his works, theMessa di Requiem(1922-23) stands as a prime example of his combined useof contrapuntal techniques, textual impressions,neo-Romantic harmonies, and varied textures, allof which create a compelling choral composition.Its inclusion in the choral canon is justified in thatit is an example of employing neo-Renaissancetechniques to the text of the Requiem Mass,and it exemplifies a shift in Italian sacred musicfrom the nineteenth to early twentieth centuries.It also parallels contemporary neo-Renaissancesettings of the Mass Ordinary, sharing strikingsimilarities with Ralph Vaughan WilliamssMassin G Minor (1920-21) and Frank MartinsMassfor wo Mixed Choirs(1922). Furthermore,

Pizzetti composed his Requiem Mass as a resultof relevant personal and cultural influences,which will be explored through historical andbiographical contexts.

1John C. G. Waterhouse program notes to: Pizzetti: Messadi Requiem, re composizioni corali, Due composizioni corali.Stefan Parkman, the Danish National Radio Chamber Choir.Colchester, Essex, England: Chandos CD 8964, 1991.

Historical Context

Political and religious developments in Italyduring the late nineteenth and early twentiethcenturies provide an important backdrop forItalian composition at the time. Italys unificationinto a single state around 1870 occurred througha gradual process, beginning approximately withthe Congress of Vienna in 1815 and culminatingwith the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian Warin 1871. Only then did the Italian governmentmove its capital from Florence to Rome. Tislate date of unificationcombined with Italyslack of national material wealthbred a sort of

national inferiority complex. Tis contributedto a dispiriting environment for an intelligentand cultivated person.2Te search for nationalidentity continued throughout the period leadingup to the Second World War, exemplified by

2John C. G. Waterhouse. Te Emergence of Italian Music(up to1940) (Oxford: University of Oxford, 1968), microfilm, 11.

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Benito Mussolinis idolization of Ancient Romeand Caesar.

he turn of the twentie th century a lso

represented a period of musical reform in theRoman Catholic Church. hroughout thenineteenth century, dramatic secular musicincreasingly infiltrated liturgical services. Bythe 1890s, organists customarily played Rossiniovertures as liturgical voluntaries, andevenmore incrediblecomplete operas by Rossini andVerdi were refit with sacred texts for performancein churches.3Pope Pius X initiated musicalreforms in 1903 when he issued his motu proprio,

ra le sollecitudini, which asserted the primacyof Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony thatemulated the style of Palestrinas compositions.In addition, the document discouraged secularand contemporary influences; it disallowed themodification of prescribed texts; and it barredthe use of the piano and noisy or frivolousinstruments such as drums, cymbals [and] bells.4From this time onwards, a recurrent featureof Italian sacred music included elements ofhistoricism and, in particular, a compositionalinterest in chant and Renaissance polyphony.5Te following discussion will establish PizzettisMessa di Requiemas an exemplary modelof Italian sacred music in the early-to-mid-twentieth century and examine its relation withcontemporary neo-Renaissance compositions.

3Ibid, 39.4Pope Pius X, ra le Sollecitudini. Motu proprio promulgatedon November 22, 1903, http://www.adoremus.org/

raLeSollecitudini.html [accessed February 1, 2010]. ChapterVI, Section 19.5Waterhouse,Emergence of Italian Music, 40.

Italian Pride: Pizzettis Musical Influencesand Professional Activity

Ildebrando Pizzetti was born in Parma in 1884,

and he spent his childhood in Reggio Emilia,a town in northern Italy approximately 80kilometers northwest of Bologna. His musicaltraining began at home, where he studiedpiano with his father, Odoardo. From thisearly age Ildebrando also demonstrated aninterest in drama by writing several plays for hisclassmates, and in 1894 they performed two suchworks, Odio e Amore (I Hate and I Love)and La morte di un prigioniero nella Rocca

dello Spielberg (Te Death of a Prisoner inSpielberg Castle).6In spite of his enthusiasmfor drama, however, he continued formal studiesonly in music, entering the Parma Conservatoryat age eleven and receiving a composition diplomain 1901.

Pizzettis musical influences reflect a blend ofRenaissance, early Baroque, and contemporarycomposers, with particular emphasis on historical

works. While at the Parma Conservatory, hestudied with the Italian musicologist Giovanniebaldini (1864-1952), who instructed Pizzettiin the genres of chant, motet, and madrigal,introducing him to the works of Marenzio,Lasso, Victoria, Palestrina, Gesualdo, andMonteverdi.7In addition to Pizzettis interest insixteenth-century polyphony and seventeenth-century opera, he was notably inf luenced byVerdi, Wagner, Debussy, and Mussorgsky.8

Pizzettis first sighting of Verdi occurred in 1900at a concert that celebrated the opera composers

6Guido M. Gatti.Ildebrando Pizzetti(London: D. Dobson,1951), 10.7Giovanni ebaldini,Ildebrando Pizzetti nelle Memorie,(Fresching, Parma, 1931), 63.8Obituary: Ildebrando Pizzetti. Te Musical imes109(April 1968): 362.


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eighty-seventh birthday in Busseto at SantAgata. Pizzetti described the event thirteenyears later: I had the impression that a completesilence had suddenly descended on the scene.Very rarely, either before or since, have I had

such an impression of universal religious awe.9

he blend of historical and modern musicalinfluences manifested itself in Pizzettisinvolvement with the Societa Nazionale diMusica beginning in 1917. Tis organizationincluded fellow Italian composers Malipiero,Respighi, Zandonai, edesco (Pizzettis pupil),ommasini, and Perinello, and it aimed to

perform the most interesting music of theyoung Italians, resurrecting old forgotten music,printing the most interesting new compositions,publishing a periodical, and organizing a systemof exchanging new music with the principalforeign countries.10In its inaugural year, theorganization performed 112 works, and of those,102 were by Italian composers.

Pizzetti held several important teaching posts

throughout his life, which began with hisappointment to teach harmony and counterpointat his alma mater conservatory in 1907. hefollowing year, he accepted a teaching positionat the Instituto Musicale in Florence, and from1917 to 1923 he served as the Institutes director.Following his tenure there, he became directorof the Milan Conservatory in 1924 beforehe moved to Rome in 1936, where he taughtadvanced composition at the Accademia di S.

Cecilia until his retirement in 1958. Te fascistregime recognized his musical contributionsby admitting him to the Reale AccademiadItalia, the highest honor the regime bestowedupon artists.

9Gatti, 11.10Waterhouse,Emergence of Italian Music, 190.

In addition to teaching at several musicconservatories, Pizzetti frequently publishedmusic criticism in a variety of periodicals,revealing his conservative musical tenets.When he attended the famous premiere of Le

sacre du printempsin 1913, he was confusedand disoriented, and in general he failed tounderstand or appreciate both Stravinsky andSchoenberg.11In 1932, he notoriously signed amanifesto alongside Respighi, Zandonai, andother reactionaries, attacking modern musicaltrends and advocating a return to tradition.12Besides his criticism of new musical trends,he also denounced the deficient quality ofconservatory training. While living in the rich

intellectual culture of Florence, he publishedarticles regularly from 1908 to 1916 in La voce,a publication organized by Italian philosophers.For example, in 1909 he expressed disapproval ofthe low standards for admission to conservatories:at that time pupils only needed to be literate,to be able to sing in tune, and to possess thestrength to be able to play an instrument.13Further, he criticized, totally untalented pupilscould continue their studies [at conservatories]

without hindrance for five or six years.

14

Choral Compositions: Dramatic Origins

Te theater served as an early forum for exploringchoral composition by providing Pizzetti withemployment and opportunities for operatic andincidental compositions. From 1902 to 1904,

11

Ibid., 255.12John C. G. Waterhouse. Gian Francesco Malipiero (1882-1973): the Life, imes and Music of a Wayward Genius.(Australia: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1999) 41-2.13Ildebrando Pizzetti. Come si Entra nei nostri IstitutiMusicali e come vi si Rimane e come se ne Esce and GliEsami di Composizione ned nostri Istituti Musical, LaVoce, 1909, quoted inMusicisti Contemporanei, (Milan 1914),reprinted in Waterhouse,Emergence of Italian Music, 24.14Ibid.


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the eatro Regio di Parma appointed himassistant conductor, and shortly thereafter in1905, he developed a fruitful friendship withthe poet Gabriele DAnnunzio (1863-1938),who had gained a reputation for his sensual and

evocative poetry. Teir friendship is evidencedby DAnnunzios nickname for him, Ildebrandoda Parma, which Pizzetti used as a pseudonymon several of his early published works. Inone such work, he wrote the incidental musicfor DAnnunzios La nave(1905), in whichPizzetti employed the church modes, includedsignificant sections of choral music, and rejectedcontemporary Italian trends of continuous ratherthan sectional composition. Similarly, his first

opera, Fedra(1909-12), prominently features anunaccompanied prelude to the last act (renodiaper Ippolito morto), and it reveals the sectionalmusic influence of Florentine monody andMonteverdis recitatives. Pizzettis later theatricalworks often reserved a large and dramatic rolefor the chorus.

Pizzetti composed choral works throughouthis life, and in spite of the fact that he was notprolific in the genre, they encompass a widevariety of texts. TeAve Maria, enebraefactae sunt, and antum ergofor three-partmale chorus and organ date from his time as apupil at the Parma Conservatory, and they areamong his earliest published works, composedwhen Pizzetti was only thir teen. His earlysecular works include two Canzoni corali(1913), Canto damore for male chorus (1914)and Lamento for tenor solo and chorus (1920);

Pizzetti drew their texts from Greek mythologyand Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Similarly, his two late collections, threeComposizioni corali (1942-3) and twoComposizioni corali(1961), draw upon diverse

literary sources. he three works in the firstComposizioni corali collection either allude toor explicitly contain a sacred element: the textof Cade la sera is from DAnnunzios LaudiBook III: Alcione, which peacefully refers to St.

Francis of Assisi; Ululate is a Latin setting ofpassages from the book of Isaiah; and RecordareDomine is a setting of verses from the bookof Lamentations. Pizzetti wrote the lattercollectionhis lastwhen he was seventy-sevenyears old, and it contains two pastoral poems ofGreco-Roman mythology by Sappho: Il giardinodi Afrodite (Te garden of Venus) and Pienasorgeva la luna (Te full moon was rising).

Pizzettis mature compositional period alsoincludes his three cantatas for chorus andorchestra: the secular wedding cantata,Epithalamium(1939), inspired by CatullussCarmina;15the cantata for male chorus, Vanitasvanitatum(1959), a setting of the EcclesiastesVanity of vanities; and the cantata for womenschorus, Filae Jerusalem adjoro vos(1966),drawn from the Song of Songs. Tough Pizzetti schoral works utilize a variety of unique texts,Pizzettis most well-known works are his settingsof traditional sacred texts:Messa di Requiemand De profundisfor seven voices (1937), thelatter of which is a setting of Psalm 130 thatfeatures neo-Renaissance techniques similar to

Messa di Requiem.

Messa di Requiem: Compositional Context

Pizzetti composedMessa di Requiemduringa period of professional and personal transition.Te period of its composition, from November1, 1922 to January 2, 1923, coincided withthe end of Pizzettis sixteen-year tenure as

15Gatti, 74.


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teacher and seven-year tenure as director at theIstituto Musicale in Florence. He assumed hisnew position as director of the conservatory inMilan shortly before completing the work.16Tistransitional period was also marked by the loss

of Pizzettis beloved first wife, Maria Stradivari,who died unexpectedly in 1920. He would notmeet his second wife, Irene Campigli, until 1924,and thus the composition ofMessa di Requiemoccurred during a solitary interlude.17

A commission from the Accademia Filarmonicain honor of the deceased King Umberto providedPizzetti with the necessary impetus to compose

Messa di Requiem. At the time, Pizzetti hadpersonal doubts about setting that particular text,as he reflected in 1949:

I do not know if, without a commission,I would ever have composed aMessa diRequiem. At the time of writing it, I wasin such an emotional state that I becameoverwhelmed by the tremendous immensityof the text. ime and time again I askedmyself why I had returned to set religious

texts to choral music. Was it because of adesire to believe in something extra-terrestrialbeyond my comprehension? Or was it becauseof my need for the hope of peace? I do notknow. Perhaps I composed theMessaout ofthe despair caused by my uncertainties, or myseeking comfort from a feeling of resignationthrough the means of choral expression. Wasthat feeling of resignation, though, provokedby my inability to comprehend the meaningof our present existence or the mysteryof the afterlife?18

16Gatti, 13. While Pizzettis responsibilities at theconservatory did not necessarily involve sacred music, it wasnever far away: one of Pizzettis residences was just behind thechurch of the Madonna della osse on Via Pancani.17Franco Sciannameo. In Black and White: Pizzetti,Mussolini and Scipio Africanus. Te Musical imes145(Summer, 2004): 30-31.18Bruno Pizzetti, ed.Ildebrando Pizzetti: Cronologia eBibliografia(Parma: La Pilotta, 1980) 204, translated in

Messa di Requiempremiered in Rome atthe Pantheon on March 14, 1924, before aprivate audience that included Italys KingVictor Emmanuel III and his court. ConductorAlessandro Bustini led the premiere. he

performance commemorated the anniversaryof King Umberto Is birth, which occurred onMarch 14, 1844.19Umberto the Good servedas the King of Italy from 1878 until his murderby an anarchist in 1900, at which time his bodywas entombed in the Pantheon; this buriallocation made the temple a natural choice for thecommemorative performance. After the Italianpremiere, the first public concert took place inCarnegie Hall on March 25, 1924, performed

by Schola Cantorum under the direction of KurtSchindler. Ricordi publishedMessa di requiemper sole vociin 1923, and though it includes akeyboard reduction, the score remains true toits title, for voices alone, by noting that thekeyboard is only to be used as aguida.

Conservatism and Historicism

Pizzettis setting of the Requiem Mass reflectshis conservative beliefs about composition,counterpoint, and harmony, incorporating anumber of neo-Renaissance and neo-Medievaltechniques that align it with the musicalprinciples outlined in Pope Pius Xs ra lesollecitudini. First, Pizzetti chose to composeseven standard textscontained in fivemovementsproper to the Requiem Mass:

Sciannameo, 30.19Olin Downes, Pizzettis New Requiem Mass to BeProduced by the Schola,New York imes, March 16, 1924.


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Pizzetti links the Introit and Kyrie texts in asingle movement, but he preserves their division

with a silent, metered separation between thetexts, unlike the Sanctus and Benedictus, whichare joined without any sectional break. hemanner in which texts appear reflects conservativeprinciples in that instances of text repetitionare minimal and limited to point-of-imitationsections. Furthermore, Pizzetti preserves the textorder with few exceptions. Specifically, the Liberame movement contains the only modificationsof order, and they serve a structural purpose:

first, the repetition of the opening Libera metext (rehearsal D) accompanies the reprise of themovements opening musical material; second, therepetition of Dum veneris and its correspondingmotive (rehearsal 72) demarcates the close ofeach formal section.

Te uses of chant quotation, chant-like melodiesand textures, and modes emulate Medieval and

Renaissance models. he Dies irae featuresthe plainchant sequence melody, and Pizzettibegins with exact quotations in octaves in thealto and bass voices, using the same pitches andcorresponding rhythms as those that appear inthe Liber usualis. Syllables that receive oneneume are set as quarter notes in Pizzettissetting; those that receive two neumes are setas eighth notes (e.g. solvet saeclum); and thosethat receive three neumes are set as triplets.

Dotted neumes receive durations of at leastthree beats. Shortly after the literal quotationof the chant motives, Pizzetti sets the chantmelody more freely at Quantus tremor byadding anticipations, which depict trembling(Example 1).

Table 1: Requiem texts set by Pizzetti

Messa di Requiem Omitted Texts

Requiem (Introit and Kyrie)Gradual (Requiem aeternam)ract (Absolve, Domine)

Dies irae (Sequence) Offertory (Domine Jesu Christe)

Sanctus and Benedictus Angus Dei Communion (Lux aeterna)

Responsory (Libera me) Antiphon (In paradisum)


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Although the eight Dies irae chant motives are used repeatedly, they do not always correspond with theappropriate text as it appears in the Liber usualis. Rather, Pizzetti uses the head motives Dies irae,uba mirum, and Liber scriptus as recognizable motives to organize and highlight the structure ofthe 57-line text (Example 2).

Although exact chant quotation occurs only in the Dies irae movement, a second similar example occursat the imitative Kyrie (rehearsal E), which matches the first five pitches of Kyrie XI fromMissa Orbisfactor(Example 3). Tis similarity is likely the coincidental result of Pizzettis composing in the styleof plainchant rather than the result of a direct borrowing. In other instances of chant quotation, suchas in the Dies irae, he uses the Liber usualispitches without transposition and includes entire phrases

of chant. In addition, his intentional quotations are proper to the liturgical celebration (the Mass of theDead). Conversely,Missa Orbis factoris a general setting to be used on Sundays in Ordinary ime; itshares no affiliation with the Requiem Mass.

Example 1a: Messa di Requiem Dies irae, 1 m. after rehearsal 12, bass voice

Exampl e 1b : Dies irae, traditional plainchant from Liber usualis

Example 2a: Messa di Requiem Dies irae, rehearsal 32, tenor voice

Example 2b: Dies irae, plainchant of corresponding text


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Example 3a: Messa di Requiem Introit, rehearsal E, bass voice

Example 3b: Kyrie XI Orbis factor(Liber usualisp. 46)

Several other melodies inMessa di Requiememulate the melodic contour and texture of chant. In the

opening Requiem aeternam, the second basses sing the first five words of the Introit in unaccompaniedunison, and the rising and falling melodic contour uses mostly stepwise motion, with occasional leaps notexceeding the interval of a perfect fifth (Example 5a, below). Te combination of texture and contour makethis newly composed melody reminiscent of the natural arsis and thesis of neumatic chant melodies. Inthe same movement, a similar instance occurs in the chant-like alto melody at exaudi orationem meam(hear my prayer), which features sustained chordal accompaniment and then unaccompanied textureas well as stepwise, rising and falling melodic contour (Example 4). Examples of chant-like melodiesabound throughoutMessa di Requiem, and Pizzetti uses them not only for their sacred connotationsbut also for dramatic expression, as explored below.

Example 4: Messa di Requiem Introit, rehearsal 4, alto voice

Pizzetti also uses the church modes to evokeMedieval and Renaissance qualities. In theKyrie section of the Introit, the point-of-

imitation motive highlights the modal changefrom D minor (Requiem aeternam) to Dphrygian due to its hovering between the firstand lowered-second scale degrees. Te Dies iraemaintains the dorian mode of the chant at theuba mirum motive, while the imitative Quidsum miser (rehearsal C) highlights the phrygianmode in a manner similar to the Kyrie. In the

Libera me the bass voice repetitively alternatesbetween D and Eb at remens factus (eleventimes at rehearsal A), once again emphasizing

the phrygian mode.

In addition to the church modes, verticalsonorities used inMessa di Requiemoftenreflect an archaic vocabulary of consonanceand dissonance. Archaic sonorities at cadencesarticulate structures within movements and also


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make overall structural connections betweenmovements. Te concluding sonority at cadencesis often a unison or perfect fifth, omitting thethird altogether. In particular, the cadences at theends of sections within movements often use this

unqualified sonority, such as in the Dies irae,in which sections end in unison at three points:rehearsal C, one measure before rehearsal I, andin the third measure of rehearsal 38. Notably,the final cadence of the Libera meand thus ofthe entireMessa di Requiemresolves froma perfect fifth on A to a perfect fifth on D. Inaddition to its cadential function, the perfect fifthis used as an ominous drone accompaniment. Forexample, in the first movement, the first and

second basses sing a phrygian-decorated perfectfifth drone at Christe below the tenor melody.Later, the Libera me begins with chanting thetext on the same perfect fifth drone. Additionalsimilar examples abound in which ancient modes

and consonances evoke music of the past and arealso exploited for their expressive possibilities.

he ubiquitous compositional techniques of

canon, imitation, and chant paraphrase inMessa di Requiememulate the prominentcharacteristics of Renaissance polyphony. Pizzettiuses canon regularly and with great variety: itmay be embedded in two voices within a densetexture; it may be real or tonal; it may occursimultaneously between two pairs of voices; itusually appears at the unison (with or withoutoctave displacement) but also may occur at thethird or fifth; and it appears at a variety of time

intervals. able 2 details the variety and extentto which canon is employed, and it demonstratesthat canon and canonic techniques generatemusical material throughoutMessa di Requiem.

Table 2: Use of canon techniques in Messa di Requiem

Movement Location, Leader/Follower Canon echnique

Requiem reh A: soprano/tenor 8ve, exact canon at 2 beatsreh B: tenor/alto tonal, 3rd, soprano parallel with follower voice

reh B: bass II / bass I real, P5; canon texture accumulates

Dies irae reh D: II/SII, I/SI double canon at 8ve

reh E: bass II / tenor II canonic at unison, 6 beats separation

reh G: II/SII, I/SI double canon at 8ve

reh L: pervasive accumulation of canonic motive

reh M: pervasive rhythmic canon at unison and fifth

Sanctus mm. 110: choir I/choir II four-part canon at 1 m., unison

reh A: choir I pervasive canonic at 1 m., unison

reh C: SII/II (choir III) canon at 2 beats (3/4 meter,) unison

reh 58: SI/I (choir III) canon at 2 beats (3/4 meter,) unison

reh 59: SII/I/BI (choir II) 3-part canon at 2 beats

Angus Dei mm. 16: S/A tonal, P5; free ends to accommodate cadence

reh A and B: S/B, S/ tonal; P5; free ends to accommodate cadence

Libera me reh C: S/ unison, tenor follows but enters before soprano


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Pizzetti also uses imitation in a prevalent manner.Imitative sections often begin canonically, suchas the Kyrie (rehearsal E), where the points-of-imitation pervade all voices. Like Renaissancepolyphony, new point-of-imitation motives

coincide with new phrases of text, and all voiceparts function equally in these sections. Tat is,the bass voice does not function as a harmonicfoundation but as an equal, participatingmember of the imitation. In addition, Pizzettiuses imitation to provide textural contrast withsurrounding sections that are homophonic orless dense, such as Quid sum miser in Diesirae (rehearsal C). Lastly, Pizzetti providesrhythmic contrast by using syncopated point-

of-imitation entrances, as at Recordare in thesame movement (rehearsal E).

Dramatic Expression

Pizzettis youthful predilection for theatricalworks manifests itself in dramatic elements foundinMessa di Requiemin four major ways: 1)vivid expression markings that function as both

technical musical and extramusical instructions,2) the employment of a wide palette of dynamics,3) the manner in which Pizzetti illuminatesimpressions of the text, and 4) how he pacesstructural tension and release.

First, the plethora of expression markingsprovides an abundance of musical instructions;nearly every phrase includes nuances of dynamics,

articulations, or tempos. However, they alsoprescribe characteristics and attitudes for theperformers musical execution. For example, theimitative Kyrie section includes the indicationmonotono, suggesting an unchanging orexpressionless quality in contrast with theprevious section, which designated the altovoice molto espressivo. By using monotono, the

limitation of nuance also indicates a removed,shielded, or objective posture towards theimitation. In the Dies irae, the chant melodyrequires a dark color or gloomy sentimentbecause of the cupomarking, and the first

imitative section (Quid sum miser, rehearsalC) is marked dolente, or painful. Terefore,rather than simply marking espressivo, Pizzettioften stipulates an emotion that the performersshould assume or convey. Next, the Sanctusis marked chiaro e spazioso, or clear andspacious, but certainly this does not refer tothe dense, 12-part texture. Rather, chiaromaydescribe the quality of singing and spazioso mayindicate the impression of a vast expanse that

results when the three choirs combine (mm.1-8): each choir establishes this spaciousnessby highlighting its distinct register via delayedentrances. Te following movement, Agnus Dei,represents a reprieve from the intensity of theDies irae and ecstasy of the Sanctus with theinstruction Calmo e dolce.In the Libera me,Pizzetti writes Con fervore profondo(withprofound fervor) in the place of a tempo marking;calmo dolcereturns at the text Requiem

aeternam. In summary, throughoutMessa diRequiem, Pizzettis expression markings provideattitudinal characteristics in addition to technicalinstructions.

Second, Pizzetti uses a large palette of dynamics,but he reserves the extreme ends of the dynamicspectrum for a limited number of sectionsin order to impart particular emphasis. woprinciples govern the overall dynamic scheme:

gradual dynamic changes and the pervasionof soft dynamics. Te rare exceptions to thesetwo dominating traits lend special stress tothose sections. For example, Pizzetti exploitsthe dramatic possibilities of the Dies iraetext by juxtaposingfortestatements of Rextremendae and Juste judex with subdued


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dynamics in the preceding section. Further,the only two appearances offortissimooccurat the Hosanna exclamations in the Sanctus,the first of which uses the expansive voicing ofover three octaves to designate it as the climax

of theMessa di Requiem(rehearsal B). Afterthis first Hosanna, the music begins its gradualdescent, for even the second Hosanna (rehearsalE) features narrower spacingtwo octaves plus amajor sixthand it progresses toward resolutionvia its cadential-six-four harmonic function.

Te muted dynamics and reduced texture ofthe Agnus Dei greatly contrast thefortissimo,

eight-voice-texture conclusion of the Sanctus.Te soft dynamics of the Agnus Dei, rangingfrompianotopianissimo, are only surpassedby thepianississimoreturn of the Libera metext in the final movement. In the Agnus Dei,Pizzetti further subdues the dynamics in threeways: by designating that only half the choir sing(soltanto una met del coro), by composing forthe sparsest texture found inMessa di Requiem(four voices), and by using only one pair ofunaccompanied, canonic voices at the beginning(soprano and alto). After the dramatic Dies iraeand ecstatic Sanctus, the dynamic and texturalreductions in the Agnus Dei produce a sublimemoment of release at the salient text Dona eisrequiem.

Tird, Pizzetti illuminates the Requiem text withgeneral impressions rather than specific wordpainting. Te manner in which the Dies irae

chant combines with a newly composed motiveexemplifies this unspecific approach. Regardingthe liturgical chants of the Roman CatholicChurch, Pizzetti asserted:

[hey] are probably as old as the simplepoetry of the first believers. It is common

knowledge that Christian liturgy was, fromits beginning, a symbolic performance ofGolgothas drama or of some other eventof Christs life, or a simple narrative playbased on some memorable story of the Holy

Scriptures.20

Pizzetti intimates a brooding character of theDies iraechant by pairing it with a sinuous,chromatic motive sung to the exclamation, Oh!Tis repeated exclamation marks Pizzetti s soleaddition to the Requiem textnot in accordance

with principles in ra le sollecitudini. When thismotive combines with the Dies iraechant, the

tritone (DG#) sounds repeatedly, and Pizzetticontinues to feature the tritone without resolutionthroughout the movement. Te tritone soundsparticularly prominent at the ends of sectionsin this movement, and it contrasts its unsettledsonority with the resolution found in the ensuingsections (e.g. preceding Lacrimosa at rehearsalM and preceding Pie Jesu at rehearsal N).

Additional examples of textual impressions occur

at points where Pizzetti juxtaposes loweredand raised modal scale degrees. In the firstmovement, the opening Requiem chant-likemelody sounds clearly in D minor, but at the textEt lux perpetua B-flat and F-natural are raisedto B-natural and F-sharp, resulting in a harmonicprogression that shimmers with a transformativelight (D minor: v to D major: IV at rehearsalA and I at rehearsal B). Te Dies irae features asimilar transformation at Pie Jesu, where the

B-flat to B-natural alteration marks the shiftfrom dissonance to dolceconsonance in D major.

Fourth, in the Sanctus, accumulative textureslead to the two Hosanna exclamations, but theyalso give a magnifying impression of a heaven20Pizzetti,Music and Drama, 420.


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and earth that are full of thy great glory. Inboth instances, Pizzetti sensitively paces themusics tension and release: the first accumulativecrescendo (Pleni sunt caeli) lasts 12 measuresand is accomplished by adding one voice to the

texture in each of the first eight measures; thesecond accumulation (Hosanna, rehearsalD) surpasses the firsts tension by delaying therelease and extending the crescendos length to20 measures.

Reprise, Return, and Relief: Satisfying thePerformer and Audience

In addition to the notable historicism anddramatic expression,Messa di Requiemfeaturesformal structures and a variety of textures thatcreate a satisfying performing and listeningexperience. With regard to formal design,

Pizzetti uses arch forms to provide structuralpillars of return at both macro- and micro-levels.In the first movement, both the written-in silencebetween the Requiem and Kyrie texts and thedouble arch structure imply its conception as twoseparate movements with reprises in each:

Table 3: Double-arch structure of Messa di RequiemIntroit

Requiem Kyrie

A a Requiem Dm C e Kyrie Dphrygian

b Et lux GD

B c e decet DmA D f+g Christie to Dm

d Exaudi D: V (transition)

A a Requiem Dm C e Kyrie Dphrygian

b Et lux GD

Te Dies irae displays a complex arch construction at two levels: the movements overall structure featuresABA form, and mirror construction is also contained within the second and third sections:


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In addition to its unifying function within movements, the use of returning material also plays a structuralrole in the overall design ofMessa di Requiem.Te last movement, though not exact, reprises materialfrom the first movement: the alto voice in Libera me echoes the opening Requiem chant-like bassmelody; the alto does so by outlining the skeleton of the bass chant with less ornamentation: the firstbass phrase rises to F and returns to D, as the alto does; the second bass phrase rises to G and returns

to D, as the alto again does; and the last bass phrase circles around A before descending an octave toA, which the alto inverts by rising to close on A (rehearsals 69 and A). Pizzetti embeds the simplifiedalto part within a five-part texture, resulting in a sense of return that remains subtle rather than overt(Example 5).

Table 4: Overall and subdivided arch construction of Dies irae

A a Dies

b uba

c Liber

B d Quid sum miser

e Rex tremedae f Recordare

g Quaerens me

e Juste judex

d Ingemisco

A a Qui Mariam

b Inter oves

a Oro supplex

a Lacrimosa

Close Pie Jesu

xample 5a: Messa di Requiem Introit, m. 1-5, bass voice

xample 5b: Messa di Requiem Libera me, rehearsals 68-69, alto voice


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Within the limits of unaccompanied choir,Pizzetti creates contrast with a remarkable varietyof textures that, even in their densest forms, havea translucent quality. Te sparse, four-voice andhalf-choir texture of the Agnus Dei has already

been discussed, and it contrasts the 12-voiceSanctus, which Pizzetti organizes into threechoirs: SSAA, BB, and BB. Because eachchoir sings homophonically with rhythmicallychiseled motives in the Sanctus, the textureis essentially reduced to three blocked parts.Polychoral textures also occur when Pizzettidivides the voices into treble and bass choirs, suchas in the Christe section of the first movement,where the tenor doubles as a participant in each

choir (SA/BarB). In the Dies irae, scoredfor SSAABB, the predominant textureof four voices essentially sounds as only twoparts because of octave doubling. In the samemovement, Pizzetti reserves a true, eight-part texture for the forte Ante diem and theconcluding Pie Jesu. In addition to texturereduction, brief homophonic sections highlightthe text or formal divisions, such as at Et luxperpetua (Introit), Salve me (Dies irae), and

Benedictus. Tis homophony contrasts withsections of complex imitation (e.g. Kyrie).

A Canon of Neo-Renaissance Contemporaries

Within the span of only three years (1920-23), Ildebrando Pizzetti, Ralph VaughanWilliams, and Frank Martin produced majorneo-Renaissance works that share a significant

number of characteristics, and it is furtherremarkable that the English, Swiss, and Italiancomposers did so with no apparent knowledge ofeach others compositions. First, each Mass canfunction liturgically with regard to length (24-29 minutes) and forces required (unaccompaniedchorus, though Vaughan Williams includes

soloists). Second, each includes newly composed,chant-like melodies, which appear throughout thework and which are highlighted in the opening ofthe first movement in a single voice part. Tird,each Mass features modal melodies, harmonies,

and tonalities but also incorporates twentieth-century or Romantic harmonies. Furthermore,additional similarities include extensive use ofimitation, ABA and cyclic formal structures,and Venetian polychoral and fauxbourdon-liketextures (able 5).

Tere does not appear to be a single event orinfluence that links these three neo-Rennaisance

compositions. Personal significance likely served arole in each composition (able 5), and each wascomposed within the nascent period of musicalinterest in neo-classicism (Stravinskys Pulcinellapremiered in May 1920) and in Renaissancepolyphonic works. Perhaps the devastation of theGreat War subtlely remained in each composersmemory, and these works then were swept up ina stark reality, in a tempered human or spiritualawareness, or in a search for a pre-World War Iinnocence. Such inquiry into possible historicaland societal influences may yield relevant insights,but such conclusions remain speculative as theylie beyond the scope of this analysis.

Table 5 on next page.


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PizzettisMessa di Requiemis a compelling twentieth-century composition that synthesizes neo-Renaissance and neo-Medieval techniques with nineteenth-century harmonic language and formalstructures. Its successful dramatic expression results from Pizzetti s fondness for theatrical works and

also from his personal connection with the Requiem text following the death of his first wife. Te beautyresulting from the combination of structural, dramatic, and historical features warrants a closer look atthis remarkable work through study and performance, potentially enabling a comprehensive understandingof twentieth-century neo-Renaissance compositions.

Table 5: Similarities in neo-Renaissance compositions (192023)

Ralph Vaughan WilliamsMass in G Minor

Frank MartinMass for TwoMixed Choirs

Ildebrando PizzettiMessa diRequiem

192021Liturgical scope: 24

1922 (Angus Dei: 1926)29

19222327

Solosists,double choir

Double choirChor(various divisi)

Personal significance: writtenfor his friend, GustavHolst, and his chorus, theWhitsuntide Singers inTaxted

Personal significance: Martin didnot release hisMassuntil 1963because he considered [the massto be] between God and myself.I felt then that an expression ofreligious feelings should remain

secret.

Possible personal significance:composed two years after his firstwifes unexpected death

Cyclic structure: openingimitative Kyrie returns atAgnus Dei miserere m. 14;also Kyrie head motive inalto solo mm. 65-7.

Loosely cyclic: texture of AgnusDei recalls that of Agnus Dei,Filius Patris in the Gloria,m. 59: in both instances choirII sings an open perfect fifthdrone while choir I sings a dolcemelody in octaves.

Loosely cyclic: opening ofLibera me alto line recalls theopening chant in first movement(Example 5)

Venetian polychoraltechniques: Sanctus Osanna(2 choir), use of Stimmtausch

Venetian polychoral: GloriaPropter magnum gloriamstarting m. 44

Venetian polychoral: Sanctus(3-choir)

Fauxbourdon: e.g. GloriaQui tollis section (m. 53) Fauxbourdon-like technique: e.g.Sanctus m. 4 Fauxbourdon-like technique: e.g.Libera me, reh. 72

20th century harmonies:chromatic submediants (e.g.Gloria: mm. 5-6)

20th century harmonies: clusterchords (e.g. Gloria opening)

Neo-Romantic harmonies


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Works Cited

Downes, Olin. Pizzettis New Requiem Mass to Be Produced by the Schola, New York imes,March 16, 1924.

Gatti, Guido M.Ildebrando Pizzetti. London: D. Dobson, 1951.

Pizzetti, Bruno, ed.Ildebrando Pizzetti: Cronologia e Bibliografia. Parma: La Pilotta, 1980.ranslated in Franco Sciannameo, In Black and White: Pizzetti, Mussolini and Scipio Africanus.Te Musical imes145, (Summer, 2004): 25-50.

Pizzetti, Ildebrando. Come si Entra nei nostri Istituti Musicali e come vi si Rimane e come se neEsce. La Voce (1909), quoted inMusicisti Contemporanei, Milan: 1914, reprinted in JohnC. G. Waterhouse, Te Emergence of Italian Music (up to 1940). Oxford: University of Oxford,1968. Microfilm.

Pizzetti, Ildebrando. Gli Esami di Composizione ned nostri Istituti Musical. La Voce (1909), quotedinMusicisti Contemporanei, Milan: 1914, reprinted in John C. G. Waterhouse, Te Emergenceof Italian Music (up to 1940). Oxford: University of Oxford, 1968. Microfilm.

Pizzetti, Ildebrando. Music and Drama. Te Musical Quarterly17 (Oct 1931): 419-426.

Pius X, Pope. ra le Sollecitudini. Motu proprio promulgated on November 22, 1903, http://wwwadoremus.org/raLeSollecitudini.html [accessed February 1, 2010].

Sciannameo, Franco. In Black and White: Pizzetti, Mussolini and Scipio Africanus. Te Musicalimes145, (Summer, 2004): 25-50.

ebaldini, Giovanni.Ildebrando Pizzetti nelle Memorie.Fresching, Parma, 1931.

Waterhouse, John C. G. Te Emergence of Italian Music (up to 1940).Oxford: University of Oxford,1968. Microfilm.

Waterhouse, John C. G.Gian Francesco Malipiero (1882-1973): Te Life, imes and Music of a WaywardGenius.Australia: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1999.

Waterhouse, John C. G. Obituary: Ildebrando Pizzetti. Te Musical imes109, (April 1968): 362.


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Discography

Johnson, Craig Hella, conductor. Requiem: We Are So Lightly Here. Conspirare, Company of Voices.Clairion CLR 917, 2006.

ODonnell, James, conductor. Frank Martin: Mass for double choir, Passacaille for organ, Ildebrando Pizzetti Messa di Requiem, De Profundis. Westminster Cathedral Choir. Hyperion UK,

1998.

Parkman, Stefan, conductor. Pizzetti: Messa di Requiem, re composizioni corali, Due composizioni corali. Te Danish National Radio Chamber Choir. Colchester, Essex, England: Chandos CD

8964, 1991.

Documents

Pizzetti Requiem Work