The requiem stands as one of Western classical music's most profound liturgical forms—a Mass for the dead that transforms Catholic funeral rites into transcendent art. Originating in medieval plainchant, the requiem evolved from its Dies Irae ("Day of Wrath") foundations into a vehicle for composers to confront mortality, divine judgment, and human grief through orchestral and choral forces. Unlike the celebratory Mass or the devotional motet, the requiem's text demands somber reflection, yet its musical interpretations span from Mozart's crystalline classicism and Verdi's operatic drama to Brahms's humanistic German Requiem (which abandons Latin liturgy entirely) and Fauré's ethereal consolation. The genre's inherent tension—between ecclesiastical function and concert-hall spectacle—has inspired works of staggering emotional range, from Berlioz's apocalyptic visions to Rutter's accessible lyricism.
What distinguishes the requiem from general choral or sacred music is its ritualistic architecture: the Introit, Kyrie, Dies Irae, and Lux Aeterna create a narrative arc through death's valley. While conductors and orchestras bring these scores to life, the requiem remains composer-centric, a proving ground for masters (Mozart, Dvořák, Penderecki) and a canvas where personal belief collides with inherited tradition. Unlike soundtracks that underscore external drama, the requiem is the drama—an inward reckoning with the ultimate unknown.
For those seeking music that marries intellectual rigor with visceral catharsis, the requiem offers centuries of humanity grappling with its most universal fear. From Renaissance polyphony to 20th-century dissonance, no genre confronts the abyss with such unrelenting beauty.
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List updated:
| #23 | ByHector Berlioz | Released:1949-11 | requiem | ||
| #51 | ByWiener Philharmoniker | Released:1950 | |||
| #70 | ByJean Gilles | Released:1957-09 | requiem | ||
| #52 | ByEscolania & Capella de Música Montserrat | Released:1960 | classicalrequiem | ||
| #3 | ByWolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Released:1961-12 | |||
| #13 | ByBerliner Philharmoniker | Released:1961-12 | requiemclassical | ||
| #86 | ByMass Text | Released:1962 | requiem | ||
| #14 | ByBenjamin Britten | Released:1963-01-01 | classicalrequiem | ||
| #56 | ByTomás Luis de Victoria | Released:1963-01 | requiem | ||
| #16 | ByWolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Released:1967-09-13 | requiemclassical | ||
| #84 | ByChoir of St. Mary's Cathedral | Released:1968-03 | massrequiem | ||
| #69 | ByGyörgy Ligeti | Released:1970 | |||
| #73 | ByJohannes Brahms | Released:1971 | classicalrequiem | ||
| #35 | ByJan Dismas Zelenka | Released:1972 | requiem | ||
| #15 | ByKrzysztof Penderecki | Released:1974 | contemporary classicalrequiem | ||
| #7 | ByGabriel Fauré | Released:1976 | requiemclassical | ||
| #21 | ByAntonín Dvořák | Released:1976 | |||
| #29 | ByHector Berlioz | Released:1980 | requiem | ||
| #11 | ByLuigi Cherubini | Released:1981 | classicalrequiem | ||
| #66 | ByLuigi Cherubini | Released:1981 | requiem | ||
| #9 | ByLuigi Cherubini | Released:1982 | requiem | ||
| #28 | ByGiuseppe Verdi | Released:1982 | |||
| #47 | ByThe Tallis Scholars | Released:1982 | requiemclassical | ||
| #31 | ByHerbert Howells | Released:1983 | requiem | ||
| #44 | ByAnna Tomowa-Sintow | Released:1983 | requiem | ||
| #10 | ByGabriel Fauré | Released:1984 | |||
| #41 | ByAndrew Lloyd Webber | Released:1985-02-24 | classicalrequiem | ||
| #6 | ByWolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Released:1985 | classicalrequiem | ||
| #27 | ByWolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Released:1985 | classicalrequiem | ||
| #64 | ByDaniel Barenboim | Released:1986-05-21 | requiem | ||
| #76 | ByFranz Liszt | Released:1986 | requiem | ||
| #17 | ByThe Tallis Scholars | Released:1987-09 | |||
| #59 | ByHilliard Ensemble/Paul Hillier | Released:1988-01 | |||
| #1 | ByWolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Released:1988 | |||
| #43 | ByJordi Savall | Released:1989 | requiem | ||
| #36 | ByThe Tallis Scholars | Released:1990-09 | |||
| #24 | ByAlfred Schnittke | Released:1990-10 | contemporary classicalrequiem | ||
| #30 | ByGabriel Fauré | Released:1990 | |||
| #54 | ByJohannes Brahms | Released:1990 | requiem | ||
| #5 | BySlovak Philharmonic | Released:1991 | |||
| #8 | ByNikolaus Harnoncourt | Released:1992 | requiem | ||
| #22 | ByJohn Rutter | Released:1992 | requiemclassical | ||
| #48 | ByJan Dismas Zelenka | Released:1993 | |||
| #4 | ByWolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Released:1995-10-02 | |||
| #2 | ByJohannes Brahms | Released:1995 | |||
| #18 | ByJohannes Brahms | Released:1995 | |||
| #91 | ByJan Dismas Zelenka | Released:1995 | requiem | ||
| #99 | ByBruno Walter | Released:1995 | requiem | ||
| #92 | ByRachel Yakar, Ortrun Wenkel, Kurt Equiluz, Robert Holl, Nikolaus Harnoncourt & Concentus musicus Wien | Released:1996 | classicalrequiem | ||
| #94 | ByMozart-Cherubini-Schumann | Released:1996 | requiem | ||
| #25 | ByJohannes Ockeghem | Released:1998-10-05 | requiem | ||
| #78 | ByThe Sixteen / Harry Christophers | Released:1998 | requiem | ||
| #33 | ByCharles Lloyd | Released:1999-02-15 | jazzrequiem | ||
| #42 | ByAeternitas | Released:2000 | gothic metalrequiem | ||
| #81 | ByChamber Choir Hymnia, Flemming Windekilde | Released:2001-04-24 | requiem | ||
| #49 | ByVictoria Musicae | Released:2002-01-01 | |||
| #34 | ByLa Capella Reial De Catalunya, Le Concert De Nations, Jordi Savall | Released:2002-10-25 | |||
| #20 | ByBruno Walter | Released:2002 | requiemclassical | ||
| #65 | ByRichard Hickox | Released:2002 | requiem | ||
| #45 | ByThe Tallis Scholars | Released:2003 | |||
| #75 | ByCapella De Ministrers & Carles Magraner | Released:2003 | classicalrequiem | ||
| #87 | ByKuijken Kwartet | Released:2003 | classicalrequiem | ||
| #57 | ByMichel Corboz | Released:2004-02-02 | requiem | ||
| #98 | ByArmonico Consort | Released:2005-03-07 | requiem | ||
| #26 | ByKarl Jenkins | Released:2005-03-21 | |||
| #60 | ByThe Sixteen And Harry Christophers | Released:2005 | requiemclassical | ||
| #62 | ByVienna Symphony Orchestra | Released:2005 | requiem | ||
| #100 | BySt. Olaf Choir | Released:2005 | requiem | ||
| #12 | ByBenjamin Britten | Released:2006-10-25 | requiem | ||
| #40 | ByRafael Frühbeck de Burgos | Released:2006-11-24 | requiem | ||
| #61 | ByKrzysztof Penderecki | Released:2006 | contemporary classicalrequiem | ||
| #58 | ByGiuseppe Verdi | Released:2007-07-15 | requiem | ||
| #79 | ByJan Dismas Zelenka | Released:2007 | requiem | ||
| #74 | ByAnna Netrebko | Released:2008-11-07 | |||
| #55 | ByThe Sixteen / Academy of St Martin in the Fields | Released:2008 | requiem | ||
| #38 | ByAccentus | Released:2008 | choralrequiem | ||
| #97 | ByHoward Goodall/Stephen Darlington/London Musici/Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford/Natasha Marsh/Alfie Boe/Christopher Maltman | Released:2008 | requiem | ||
| #80 | ByElke Janssens | Released:2009-10-05 | choralrequiem | ||
| #46 | ByLawrence Foster | Released:2010-05-01 | requiem | ||
| #63 | ByJordi Savall | Released:2011-06-27 | classicalrequiem | ||
| #67 | ByThe Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | Released:2012-11-13 | requiem | ||
| #90 | ByMichel Corboz | Released:2012-11-26 | requiem | ||
| #37 | ByJean Richafort | Released:2013 | requiem | ||
| #77 | ByCarlo Maria Giulini | Released:2013 | requiem | ||
| #95 | ByChor & Orchester der Universität Wien | Released:2014-12-11 | |||
| #96 | ByJan Dismas Zelenka | Released:2016-03-04 | requiem | ||
| #32 | ByCristobal de Morales | Released:2016-09-26 | requiem | ||
| #88 | ByConspirare, Craig Hella Johnson | Released:2016 | requiem | ||
| #83 | BySeiji Ozawa | Released:2017-06-06 | classicalrequiem | ||
| #39 | By1oneam | Released:2019-11-18 | |||
| #50 | ByDuarte Lobo | Released:2020 | |||
| #68 | ByMusica Ficta | Released:2021-02-26 | |||
| #19 | By1oneam | Released: | |||
| #53 | ByOrchestra Sinfonica dell'Universita Cattolica / Coro Sinfonico di Bie | Released: | requiem | ||
| #72 | ByMagdalena Hajóssyová, Jozef Kundlák, Etc.; Zdenek Kosler: Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus | Released: | requiem | ||
| #71 | ByWilliam Fred Scott / The Atlanta Opera Orchestra & Chorus | Released: | requiem | ||
| #85 | ByTonkuenstler Ensemble Wien | Released: | requiem | ||
| #82 | BySergiù Celibidache/Soloists/Münchner Philharmoniker | Released: | classicalrequiem | ||
| #89 | ByBezdin Ensemble and choir, Adina Spire | Released: | requiem | ||
| #93 | ByJosquin des Prez | Released: | massrequiem |