The first performance of Durante's Requiem is thought to have been in Rome in 1746, possibly at the church of S. Giacomo degli Spagnoli, for the funeral of Philip V of Spain.
Compositional Technique
Durante's Requiem in C minor features a five-part choir (SSATB) with an additional ripieno choir (ATB), and solo material that owes much to opera.
Instruments
The instrumental forces for Durante's Requiem are modest, consisting of strings throughout, with added horns only in the 'Tuba mirum' movement.
Critical Reception
Eighteenth-century writers like Charles Burney and Jean-Jacques Rousseau praised Durante, with Burney calling him 'the greatest harmonist' and Rousseau describing him as 'more ingenious than all the rest' in harmony.
Composition History
Francesco Durante's Requiem Mass in C minor is considered one of the most important orchestral Requiem settings of the 18th century, despite never being published.
Composer Biography
Francesco Durante, born in Frattamaggiore on the outskirts of Naples in 1684, spent most of his life in Naples as Primo Maestro of several conservatories.
Historical Context
The conservatories where Durante taught, like S. Maria di Loreto, were originally founded in the 16th century for the education of orphans and later took paying music students.
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