Requiem for a Tribe Brother (Williamson)
Encyclopedia
Requiem for a Tribe Brother is a choral work by Australian-born composer
Malcolm Williamson
(b.1931, Sydney
- d.2003, Cambridge
), who was Master of the Queen's Music
from 1975 to 2003.
A brooding chant-like refrain for male-voices, simulating the drone of a didgeridoo
, alternates with homophonic passages for full choir.
A tender 3-minute chorale
with a harmonic
palette which is neither diatonic nor chromatic. This is typical of Williamson, as is consistent throughout the Requiem.
Much in the manner of the opening Requiem aeternam, passages for soloists are contrasted with densely harmonised sections for the full choir. At nearly 5 minutes, this is the largest and most varied movement of the work.
Highly operatic
solos for tenor
and alto
are pitted against a richly coloured chordal backdrop for full choir.
After a grand and imposing statement of "Sanctus ... etc.", there is a lively dance-like coda in 5/8 metre on the word "Hosanna".
A mysterious introduction is followed by a reprise of the "Hosannas" from the previous movement.
In common with the second movement, the Agnus Dei is a slow chorale
, featuring a highly pungent harmonic
language and many unusual shifts of key
.
This movement features two soprano
soli which float above the rest of the choir throughout.
A fast and fiery dance primarily for tenors, built on an ostinato figure in the basses. Towards the end of the movement, there is a brief reprise of material from the opening Requiem aeternam.
The serene concluding movement, in C major
, derives its melody from the opening of the Song of Hope from Williamson's choral-symphony for Kath Walker, The Dawn Is At Hand (1987-89).
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Malcolm Williamson
Malcolm Williamson
Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson AO , CBE was an Australian composer. He was the Master of the Queen's Music from 1975 until his death.-Biography:...
(b.1931, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
- d.2003, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
), who was Master of the Queen's Music
Master of the Queen's Music
Master of the Queen's Music is a post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The holder of the post originally served the monarch of England.The post is roughly comparable to that of Poet Laureate...
from 1975 to 2003.
Structure
Lasting approximately half-an-hour, the Requiem for a Tribe Brother is one of Williamson's largest unaccompanied choral works, standing alongside the Symphony for Voices of 1962 and the Mass of Saint Etheldreda of 1990 in duration. Williamson divides up the extensive text of the traditional Requiem Mass into ten movements, as follows:- I. Requiem aeternam (Introit)
A brooding chant-like refrain for male-voices, simulating the drone of a didgeridoo
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
, alternates with homophonic passages for full choir.
- II. Kyrie
A tender 3-minute chorale
Chorale
A chorale was originally a hymn sung by a Christian congregation. In certain modern usage, this term may also include classical settings of such hymns and works of a similar character....
with a harmonic
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
palette which is neither diatonic nor chromatic. This is typical of Williamson, as is consistent throughout the Requiem.
- III. Domine Jesu Christe (Offertory)
Much in the manner of the opening Requiem aeternam, passages for soloists are contrasted with densely harmonised sections for the full choir. At nearly 5 minutes, this is the largest and most varied movement of the work.
- IV. Pie Jesu
Highly operatic
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
solos for tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
and alto
Alto
Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
are pitted against a richly coloured chordal backdrop for full choir.
- V. Sanctus
After a grand and imposing statement of "Sanctus ... etc.", there is a lively dance-like coda in 5/8 metre on the word "Hosanna".
- VI. Benedictus
A mysterious introduction is followed by a reprise of the "Hosannas" from the previous movement.
- VII. Agnus Dei
In common with the second movement, the Agnus Dei is a slow chorale
Chorale
A chorale was originally a hymn sung by a Christian congregation. In certain modern usage, this term may also include classical settings of such hymns and works of a similar character....
, featuring a highly pungent harmonic
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
language and many unusual shifts of key
Key signature
In musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the equivalent natural notes unless otherwise altered with an accidental...
.
- VIII. Lux aeterna (Communion)
This movement features two soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
soli which float above the rest of the choir throughout.
- IX. Libera me
A fast and fiery dance primarily for tenors, built on an ostinato figure in the basses. Towards the end of the movement, there is a brief reprise of material from the opening Requiem aeternam.
- X. In Paradisum
The serene concluding movement, in C major
C major
C major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
, derives its melody from the opening of the Song of Hope from Williamson's choral-symphony for Kath Walker, The Dawn Is At Hand (1987-89).