German Requiem in Full Score

Many composers--Mozart, Verdi, Durufle, Faure--have written settings of the requiem, the Roman Catholic mass for the dead, and the listener can find a score for every taste, from the bombastic to the reflective. In this 1865 composition, Johannes Brahms took a different tack. Instead of using the familiar texts of the Latin Mass, Brahms chose to write a German requiem with a decidedly evangelical tack. Using texts from the German translation of the Bible--beginning with a phrase from the Beatitudes and ending with the Revelation of St. John the Divine ("Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord …") Brahms created one of the most comforting works of its kind ever written. (There are few greater evocations of heavenly bliss than No. 4, the chorus sung in English as "How lovely is thy dwelling place.") You can see how he did it with this full orchestral score from Dover. Dover scores are short on bells and whistles--not to mention English translations--but if your primary interest is in the music and how it was put together, you will find this a valuable tool at a bargain price.