Antonín Rejcha:
Requiem

Antonín Rejcha (1770–1836) is one of the most significant musicians from the Czech lands who worked outside his homeland. His personality combined creative talent, top-tier knowledge as a music theorist, and teaching abilities. In 1808, he returned to Paris, where he settled permanently. He shared his theoretical knowledge with young composition students as a private teacher and, in 1818, was appointed professor of counterpoint at the Paris Conservatory. His students included Adolphe Adam, Hector Berlioz, Franz Liszt, Friedrich von Flotow, César Franck, Charles Gounod, George Onslow, Henri Vieuxtemps, and others. In 1829, Rejcha obtained French citizenship, and two years later, he was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honour (Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur). A year before his death, he became a member of the Academy of Fine Arts (Académie des Beaux-Arts).

The Missa pro defunctis is Rejcha’s magnum opus, which incorporates all his original insights in the fields of harmony, form, counterpoint, and orchestration. In this unique amalgamation, the legacy of the art of fugue, the classical restraint, and the romantically picturesque soundscapes later popularized by Hector Berlioz, one of his most notable students, blend together. Despite the wide palette of expressive means—or perhaps precisely because of it—Rejcha composed a truly spiritual, liturgical work that, even with its individuality, maintains its ceremonial character. This can also be seen as a manifestation of his supreme mastery.

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In the literature, Rejcha's Missa pro defunctis is described as a link between Mozart's Requiem and Hector Berlioz's Messa da Requiem, which was composed for the concert hall and not tied to liturgical use. In particular, in the choral parts and the role of the orchestra, Rejcha's influence is evident. The sense of drama that was denied to Rejcha in his operas is manifested in this work through a series of unconventional elements.