War Requiem as Compared to De Profundis
This paper is to compare two musically important works the War Requiem by Benjamin Britten and Lucrecia Kasilag’s De Profundis. Both though very different are still both very significant to the history of music in their respective places. The War Requiem written in 1961 and finished in 1962. As touched upon in our report before, a requiem is originally a tune composed for the souls of the dead. So putting it into context, the War Requiem is a tune made in remembrance for the casualties of the war that time. This tune is considered non - liturgical just as Lucrecia Kasilag’s De Profundis.
Both tackle the story behind the War Requiem was that back then, Benjamin Britten was know to be a pacifist and said he’d rather create things than destroy them and so during the war he followed this train of thought in composing the War Requiem instead of being involved in the Cold War itself. It was made by adapting text from the Latin Requiem Mass and interlaced with poems by the British poet Wilfred Owen, who wrote his own experiences during World War 1. Britten also quoted Owen in saying “My subject is war, and the pity of war. The poetry is in the pity. All a poet can do today is warn.” This requiem, as other requiems, is divided into six parts and each part is played by a specific part of the orchestra. Individually each sound distinctive on their own but when all parts play together, it results to this layered performance with a lot of different sounds.
Lucrecia Kasilag’s De Profundis is a locally produced 10 part composition that uses Psalms and bible verses mixed with the flare of the sound of an orchestra. Like the War Requiem, the De Profundis is considered a non - liturgical composition and is considered one of the greatest written by any Filipino composer. I think Kasilag was able to add her own Filipino elements in writing the De Profundis using kawayan instruments in adding a special local element to her composition. To me this is interesting because we Filipinos are very religious to begin with, and so to be able to add our own flare to this religious texts is something we should be happy about.
Adding to that, Kasilag’s work when looked at from top to bottom is filled with verses from the bible. It dabbles on important passages about how God is always there for us and He will continue to be the rock in our lives. It is also quite interesting to note that each part is sung differently either with a tenor, a bass, an alto, a soprano or a quartet. This then brings in the variety factor of this composition as not all 10 parts are all similar in the way it is sang.
I guess that the similarity that the War Requiem and the De Profundis is that they are both taken as compositions with various parts and both are very rich in layers and musicality. It’s actually quite impressive that one person composed these compositions respectively. I mean it must have taken somewhat of a genius to be able to compose something as long as the War Requiem and the De Profundis. It Vll. Isaiah 35:10 10 and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. end of crossrefs Vlll. The Battle Done lX. Philippians 4:19-20 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. end of crossrefs X. Double Chorus takes a lot of mastery of music to be able to put everything together, have parts that would stand out individually but also have them all work in unison when played together. I would consider these compositions great works of art because it takes a lot to put something of that magnitude together and both composers were able to highlight their nationality by being able to add elements of where they came from in their compositions.
In comparison, I guess we could say that the De Produndis has a happier and more uplifting tone as compared to the War Requiem. I guess it’s because it talks about God as compared to the destruction of war. But I think that even though these two sound different from each other, each one has a special beauty that comes along with it because it talks about and is somewhat a representation of the society that it was made from. Cause at the end of the day, music is also just a reflection of what is going on around us and in our society.
References:
"Benjamin Britten." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 1 July 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Britten. Accessed 13 July 2018.
"Fascinating Facts About Benjamin Britten's 'War Requiem'." The Tennessean, 19 May 2015, www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/05/19/fascinating-facts-benjaminbrittens-war-requiem/27581247/.
"Wilfred Owen." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 9 July 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_Owen. Accessed 13 July 2018.