Requiem Aeternam
“Requiem Aeternam...Dona Eis, Domine. Et Lux Perpetua, Luceat Eis”
Those are the words of the Introit of the Latin Mass for the dead, called a Requiem….Requiem Aeternam….Rest Eternal…
Picture a loved one, displayed in a glass coffin at the altar for all to see. A chorus and orchestra are robed atop the choir loft, waiting for the downbeat from the conductor. For the next hour, eight movements of liturgical scripture and ominous melodies intend to calm those that are grieving their dearly departed. Is this still a concert? What purpose does the Requiem Mass serve, especially when it’s “performed” like it is today? Is it still the same?
When I listen to the Mass, I’m reminded of Snow White in that same glass coffin. She awoke from death with true love’s first kiss, casting the coffin aside. Part of me wishes all death could be kissed away as if it were no longer an inevitable fate. For the people that these Masses were sung for, death could not be conquered, but in the end, their lives were celebrated and grieved, and may they rest in peace. I still may never fully understand death, but the words of the Requiem bring the truth to my eyes, and it brings me the stillness I seek.
Those are the words of the Introit of the Latin Mass for the dead, called a Requiem….Requiem Aeternam….Rest Eternal…
Picture a loved one, displayed in a glass coffin at the altar for all to see. A chorus and orchestra are robed atop the choir loft, waiting for the downbeat from the conductor. For the next hour, eight movements of liturgical scripture and ominous melodies intend to calm those that are grieving their dearly departed. Is this still a concert? What purpose does the Requiem Mass serve, especially when it’s “performed” like it is today? Is it still the same?
When I listen to the Mass, I’m reminded of Snow White in that same glass coffin. She awoke from death with true love’s first kiss, casting the coffin aside. Part of me wishes all death could be kissed away as if it were no longer an inevitable fate. For the people that these Masses were sung for, death could not be conquered, but in the end, their lives were celebrated and grieved, and may they rest in peace. I still may never fully understand death, but the words of the Requiem bring the truth to my eyes, and it brings me the stillness I seek.
