Requiem K626

Many legends and fantasies are related to the Requiem Mozart wrote near to his own death. There is a fact that the requiem was ordered by a mysterious client whose name is unknown. Mozart left no will or a grave, said no famous last words - all these facts made it difficult for music lovers to accept the loss of a musical genius, and on top of everything else - so young, only 35 years old.

It turns out that most of the common facts about the Requiem are not really true:

The person who ordered the requiem was a count, who made the order secretly, with the intention to present it as his own work (apparently he had done so before). While writing the requiem, Mozart understood that he was composing his own requiem. He never got to finish it, and only two of its movements have been completed. The rest were completed using the first drafts he left, by his student Süssmayr, and in spite of the excellent work the latter did, the differences in level of composition are evident. Antonio Salieri, who was accused in various contexts as being involved in Mozart's death, had no contact with the genius's demise, as facts show.

The Requiem does not resemble Mozart's other religious work. It is written in a way that reminds us more of J. S. Bach's devotional writing. In that sense, Mozart succeeded to elevate himself above his own era, and wrote a piece that demonstrates how limitless he was in style, time, expression and character. Eternity was his home court.