Trotta’s Music Returns to Italy

MICHAEL JOHN TROTTA Selections from Requiem

Unique in its ability to bring death and dying into the public conversation, the Requiem Mass has captivated the hearts and minds of all those who have experienced loss. Many have found that the Requiem engenders a sense of hope and provides an opportunity to continue healing. Trotta’s new work for choir and organ is a powerfully appealing and tender exploration of love and loss. Grounded in tradition while incorporating a present-day harmonic language, two Gregorian Chant motives are interwoven throughout the lush harmonies and soaring melodies.

From the Composer

“What I find so beautiful about the Requiem is that it is something that we can come together and experience in community, even in the midst of personal tragedy.

I spent a great deal of time playing and singing at funerals, and I heard the words of the funeral liturgy (Requiem) so many times, it was healing for me. It almost became a mantra, “eternal rest, grant unto them . . . and may perpetual light shine upon them.”

As a singer in choir, and later as a conductor and composer, I fell in love with the choral masterworks of the genre: the gravitas of Brahms, the drama of Verdi, the tenderness of Faure and the juxtaposition of old and new in the Duruflé. When I was commissioned by a consor- tium of choirs to write a Requiem myself, I sought to both honor this tradition while at the same time bringing it to modern day listeners, whether in the liturgical setting or concert hall

For me, I see it as a conversation between two voices: hope and fear, represented by the original chant motives of Requiem (rest) and Dies Irae (fear). At times you will hear them on their own, at other times you will hear them simultaneously. Even though it may appear that fear may be gaining the upper hand, there is a continual sense of movement toward a place where hope may transcend fear.

My father passed away unexpectedly when I was seven, and I remember the initial swell of support from the community. But after a short time, the support seemed to fade and as happens with grief, life moves on for everyone but the bereaved. I was left with a sense of silence and emptiness. Eventually, music came to fill that silence. It became my solace.

Requiem is a prayer for those who have gone before us, for those that are left behind, and a prayer that all of us may find peace when facing the unknown. “

1. Introit et Kyrie

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,

et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion,

et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem.

Exaudi orationem meam

ad te omnis caro veniet.

Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison.

2. Dies Irae

Dies irae, dies illa,

solvet saeclum in favilla,

teste David cum Sibylla.

Mors stupebit et natura,

cum resurget creatura,

judicanti responsura.

Recordare, Jesu pie,

ne me perdas (illa die).

Huic ergo parce, Deus,

dona eis requiem.

3. Offertory et Hostias

Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae,

libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum

de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu.

Libera eas de ore leonis;

ne absorbeat eas tartarus,

ne cadant in obscurum.

Sed signifer sanctus Michael

repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam. Heav’nly Hosts

Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini eius.

Hostias et preces tibi, Domine, laudis offerimus:

tu suscipe pro animabus illis,

quarum hodie memoriam facimus,

fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam.

Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini eius.

4. Sanctus

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth!

Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.

Hosanna in excelsis.

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domine.

Hosanna in excelsis!

Latin Text (continued) English Translation by Vaughn Roste (continued)

5. Pie Jesu

Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem.

Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem sempiternam.

6. Agnus Dei

Agnus Dei, qui tollis pecatta mundi,

dona eis requiem.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,

dona eis requiem sempiternam.

7. Lux Aeterna

Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine,

cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,

et lux perpetua luceat eis,

quia pius es.

8. Libera Me

Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna

in die illa tremenda,

quando coeli movendi sunt et terra,

dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem.

Tremens factus sum ego et timeo,

dum discussion venerit atque ventura ira.

Dies illa, dies iræ, calamitatis et miseriæ,

dies magna et amara valde

dum veneris iudicare sæculum per ignem.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,

et lux perpetua luceat eis.

9. Et Mors Ultra Non Erit

Et absterget Deus omnem lacrymam ab oculis eorum,

et mors ultra non erit,

neque luctus, neque clamor,

neque dolor erit ultra,

quia prima abierunt.

Ubi est mors victoria tua?

Ubi est mors stimulus tuus?

10. In Paradisum

In paradisum deducant angeli;

in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres,

et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.

Chorus angelorum te suscipat

et cum Lazaro, quondam paupere,

aeternam habeas requiem.

Program Notes . . .