CJ Replay: Mozart “Requiem”

(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Comparisons between the Requiems of Florian Leopold Gassmann and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart” by Mark J. Suderman )

 

       Much has been written about the music Mozart mayor may not have actually written in his

Requiem. However, little has been written about the origins of Mozart’s material- the music by other composers which may have influenced Mozart’s writing. The knowledge of such influences is important. It contributes to a better understanding of Mozart’s compositional process and the musical aesthetic of the time in which he wrote.

       Mozart studied the church music of many composers, and wrote in a fashion quite similar to theirs in designs of musical material. Direct correlations can be seen in a number of works. Particularly striking are the similarities between Mozart’s Requiem and those composed by Johann Michael Haydn and Florian Leopold Gassmann.

       Florian Leopold Gassmann was born on May 3, 1729 in Briix, a Bohemian town northwest of Prague (now Most, Czechoslovakia). The boy was very likely educated at the Jesuit Gymnasium in Komotau (now Chomutov which was located 25 kilometers southwest of Briix.l (Jesuit schools were actively engaged in the performance of music and the training of musicians. Many other fine musicians were trained by Jesuits during this time, including Michael Haydn, J. G. Albrechtsberger, Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Christoph Sonnleithner, and Franz Tuma.) Little else is known about Gassmann’s early years, though there is some speculation about the  possible lack of support he received from his parents regarding his pursuit of a musical career

 

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