Do you know the definition of requiem? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word requiem, including its definition, usage, word origin, example sentences, and more!
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According to Your Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary, and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word requiem is a noun that refers to a piece of music, song, chant, hymn, composition, musical service, musical setting, dirge, or poem for someone who died. This is used especially at a Catholic mass to honor and remember a dead person. This word can either refer to the musical composition or the mass itself. This can also refer to a specific mass that is celebrated for the repose of the souls of the dead.
Some examples of requiems by composers include Mozart’s requiem and Giuseppe Verdi’s requiem, and Berlioz, Johannes Ockeghem, Wilfred Owen, Cherubini, Saint-Saëns, Brahms and Dvořák have also written requiems. Johannes Brahms’ is entitled A German Requiem. The famous “War Requiem” was written for the reconsecration of a cathedral destroyed in World War II by Benjamin Britten.Some texts of the requiem mass in Catholicism and the Lutheran bible are set to music, such as the Introit Kyrie eleison Gradual Tract Sequence (the Dies Irae) Offertory Sanctus Agnus Dei Communion Pie Jesu Libera Me In paradisum. These might be played by and orchestra or sung by a choir or soloist. Requiem is three syllables – re-qui-em, and the pronunciation of requiem is ˈrɛkwɪˌɛm.
Many people have written requiems. Take a look at this list of people who have composed requiems from U Chicago and see if you recognize any names!
Luigi Cherubini
Mikhail Gnessin
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Alfred Schnittke
Simeon Pironkov
esire-Emile Inghelbrecht
Heinrich Sutermeister
Robert Schumann
Joseph Guy Ropartz
Humfrey Clucas
Britten, Benjamin
Charles Gounod
Charles Ives
Alan Hovhaness
Stevan Mokranjac
Gaetano Donizetti
Frank Martin
Liszt, Franz
Luc Brewaeys
Peter Jan Wagemans
C. Bryan Rulon
György Ligeti
Zimmermann, Bernd Alois
Kurt Weill
Orlando di Lassus
Werner Wehrli
Joseph Eybler
Francois-Joseph Krafft
Xavier Montsalvatge
Victoria Jordanova
Igor Stravinsky
Havergal Brian
Jon Nordal
Peter Cornelius
Hikari Oe
Ragnar Grippe
Peter Sculthorpe
Joonas Kokkonen
Pierre de La Rue
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Ildebrando Pizzetti
Ricky Ian Gordon
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Gerald Finzi
Hans Werner Henze
Minoru Miki
Tomas Luis de Victoria
Erkki-Sven Tuur
Giacomo Puccini
Anton Bruckner
Sandro Gorli
Oskar Fredrik Lindberg
Stanford, Charles Villiers
von Suppé, Franz
Joao Domingos Bomtempo
Eric Zeisl
Dmitri Kabalevsky
Johann Georg Lickl
Delius, Frederick
Bechara El-Khoury
Sven-David Sandstrom
Theodore Gouvy
Anerio, Giovanni Francesco
Amaral Vieira
Richard Wernick
Antonio Buzzolla
Johannes Brahms
Gabriel Faure
Joseph Martin Kraus
Benedetto Marcello
Alexander Borodin
Neil B. Rolnick
Marga Richter
Klaus Huber
Asger Hamerik
Charles Brown
Gerhard Rosenfeld
Howells, Herbert
Eduard Tubin
Karl Ditters Dittersdorf
Jean Guillou
Johannes Ockeghem
Alfred Desenclos
Jehan-Ariste Alain
Pier Francesco Cavalli
Francesco Durante
Jan Dismas Zelenka
Ignaz Pleyel
Alexandre Rabinovitch
John Rutter
Duruflé, Maurice
Paul Hindemith
Gavin Bryars
Franz Schubert
Wojciech Kilar
Camille Saint-Saens
Jon Leifs
John Kenneth Tavener
Nicholas Bacri
Pavel Chesnokov
Ingram Marshall
Johann Adolf Hasse
Robert Bloom
Matteuz Zwierzchowski
Johann Joseph Fux
Giuseppe Verdi
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Daniel de Lange
Esteban Salas y Castro
James DeMars
Otto Emanuel Olsson
Ladislav Vycpalek
Joseph Joachim
Roland Senator
Howard Hanson
Zbigniew Preisner
Udo Kasemets
Gyorgy Kurtag
Toru Takemitsu
Meredith Monk
Michael Colgrass
Eustace du Caurroy
David Popper
Rudolf Mauersberger
Antonin Dvorak
Cristobal de Morales
Max Reger
Renaud Gagneux
Joseph Rheinberger
Krzysztof Penderecki
Priaulx Rainier
Robert Moran
Michael Haydn
Noriyasu Tanaka
Heinrich Ignaz Biber
Saverio Mercadante
Philippe de Monte
Charles Camilleri
Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki
Andre Campra
Domenico Cimarosa
Alfred Bruneau
Bartolomeo Cordans
The word requiem is also present in many other languages. You may notice that the below translations of requiem sometimes look similar to the English translation of requiem itself. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as another word or phrase. These are often formed when two words in different languages have the same language of origin or root word. The below list of translations of requiem is provided by Word Sense.
Japanese: 死者のためのミサ (shishano tame no misa), 引導 (indou)
Icelandic: sálumessa (fem.)
Spanish: réquiem (masc.)
Finnish: sielunmessu
Danish: rekviem (neut.)
Hungarian: rekviem, gyászmise
Russian: ре́квием (masc.)
Portuguese: réquiem (masc.)
Dutch: requiem, dodenmis
Greek: μνημόσυνο (neut.)
Faroese: sálarmessa (fem.)
Italian: requiem
Polish: rekwiem, msza za zmarłych
Serbo-Croatian: opelo
What is the origin of the word requiem?
According to Etymonline, the word requiem has been used since C14 Middle English. This word comes from the Latin accusative of requiēs rest, which is the first word of the mass for the dead. This comes from the Latin prefix re-, Latin root quiēs quiet and kweiə- in Indo-European roots.
The name is taken from first words of the Introit, “Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine” for the traditional requiem mass, which means “rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord” in Latin. This uses an alternative accusative case of Latin requiÄ“s meaning rest or repost from the Latin re- meaning again and the root quiÄ“s meaning quiet or rest.
What are synonyms and antonyms for requiem?
Numerous different words and phrases can be used in place of the word requiem. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition as another word or phrase. Learning synonyms is a great way to add to your English vocabulary, and learning synonyms can also help you avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms of requiem is provided by Power Thesaurus.
church music
funeral song
dirge
anthem
elegy
funeral
chant
lamentation
hymn
cantata
funeral music
exequies
ceremony
funeration
laments
death song
cortege
funeral poem
plaint
funeral march
threnody
entombment
burial hymn
cremation
jeremiad
last rites
dirges
keen
obit
psalm
epicedium
keening
cry
mass
knell
burial
dead office
eulogy
elegies
dead march
funeral chant
mourning
funeral hymn
coronach
interment
requiem mass
canticle
monody
inhumation
lament
death march
There are also many different words and phrases that have the opposite meaning as the word requiem. These opposite words are known as antonyms, which are another quick and easy way to add to your English language vocabulary. This list of antonyms of requiem is also provided by Power Thesaurus.
happiness
peace
satisfaction
certainty
praise
calmness
answer
contentment
celebration
exultation
laughter
endorsement
exult
commendation
compliment
cheer
silence
kiki
acclaim
laugh
rejoice
enjoy himself
pleasure
calm
Overall, the word requiem means a musical setting of this mass, plainsong setting, or celebration of this mass celebrating the dead, or a song that is used to lament and celebrate the dead. This comes from the Latin “Requiem æternam dona eis Domine” and can be used in the context of a funeral or mass celebrating eternal rest.
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
Kevin
October 14, 2021
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