| War Requiem | |
|---|---|
| by Benjamin Britten | |
 Interior of the new Coventry Cathedral, where the Requiem was first performed | |
| Opus | 66 |
| Occasion | Consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral |
| Text |
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| Language |
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| Composed | 1961–1962 |
| Dedication |
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| Performed | 30 May 1962 |
| Scoring |
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The War Requiem, Op. 66, is a choral and orchestral composition by Benjamin Britten, composed mostly in 1961 and completed in January 1962.[1] The War Requiem was performed for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, in the English county of Warwickshire, which was built after the original fourteenth-century structure was destroyed in a World War II bombing raid. The traditional Latin texts are interspersed, in telling juxtaposition, with extra-liturgical poems by Wilfred Owen, written during World War I.
Britten scored the work for soprano, tenor and baritone soloists, chorus, boys' choir, organ, and two orchestras (a full orchestra and a chamber orchestra). The chamber orchestra accompanies the intimate settings of the English poetry, while soprano, choirs and orchestra are used for the Latin sections; all forces are combined in the conclusion. The Requiem has a duration of approximately 80–85 minutes. In 2019, War Requiem was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[2]
- ^ Philip Reed. "The War Requiem in Progress". In Cooke (1996).
- ^ Andrews, Travis M. (20 March 2019). "Jay-Z, a speech by Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and 'Schoolhouse Rock!' among recordings deemed classics by Library of Congress". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.