One takes a mysterious patron, a composer who meets his end far too soon and a mysterious completion. Voilà, these are the exciting ingredients for what would become one of Mozart's most famous works: his Requiem. On Friday, Jan. 14 and Saturday, Jan. 15, you can hear it at Amare.

The story begins on February 14, 1791: on this day, the 20-year-old Countess Von Walsegg-Stuppach died. Her deeply grieved husband had a memorial erected for her and had a bright idea: composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from Vienna should compose a Requiem for her. The music-loving count often ordered compositions, which he then cheerfully copied and then published as composers. He intended to do the same this time, so the order had to be placed discreetly and anonymously. No sooner said than done. In the summer of that year a messenger showed up on the doorstep of Mozart's (Last) home at Rauhensteingasse 8 (today a department store). The anonymous client's request was granted: the fifty ducats that had been promised could be put to good use for the penniless Mozart. Incidentally, the commission also worked out well for Mozart's career. He had set his sights on the position of Kapellmeister at Vienna's Stephansdom and it was therefore time to write religious compositions again.

A Requiem for himself?

But there wasn't much time. Over the summer, the 35-year-old Mozart worked on the opera "La clemenza di Tito," which premiered in Prague in early September. Then he threw himself into "Die Zauberflöte," which was performed for the first time in late September. It wasn't until October that Mozart was finally able to begin work on the Requiem. Despite ill health and an infection, he continued to work feverishly, although the Last weeks - when he was mostly bedridden - would be less and less. It was during this time that Mozart remarked that he was writing the Requiem for himself. A few movements were sung with friends on the afternoon before his death, and a sister-in-law recounted that on his deathbed Mozart still wanted to "express with his mouth the timpani in his Requiem.

Unfinished?

When Mozart died on Dec. 5, 1791, the Requiem was far from finished. Nevertheless, the work sounded in its rough version five days later in Vienna's Michaelerkirche, for a memorial service initiated by friend and librettist Emmanuel Schikaneder. But this version, of course, could not be handed to Count Von Walsegg. The Introitus was ready, from the Kyrie to the Hostias, the vocal parts with basso continuo had been written down, and there were some hints of instrumentation. Mozart's very last efforts had yielded eight bars of the Lacrimosa, but for the rest, widow Constanze (with two small children!) was left empty-handed. In the process, she was in bad financial shape, so something had to be done to receive the second part of the fee.

Musical monument

So haste was called for, and various friends and pupils of Mozart were urged to proceed with the Requiem in secret. It was finally former student Franz Xaver Süssmayr who handed the complete score (with a forged Mozart signature!) to Count Von Walsegg in February 1792. And yes, the Count neatly transcribed the score and listed himself as the author. In late 1793 and early 1794 he performed "his" Requiem, not knowing that Constanze Mozart already attended the very first complete performance on January 2, 1793, in Vienna at a benefit concert organized for her. Incidentally, even there, as in the score, Süssmayr's part was concealed. Nevertheless, he was able to provide an impressive musical monument to the composer who died far too early.

Jan Jaap Zwitser