War Requiem

August 4th 1964.

"My subject is war and the pity of war.

"The poetry is in the pity.

"All a poet can do today is warn."

The words of Wilfred Owen, chosen by Benjamin Britten

to preface the score of his War Requiem,

which is being performed tonight in the Royal Albert Hall

to commemorate the outbreak of the First World War

50 years ago today, on August 4th 1914.

It was in loving memory

of four young friends killed in the war of 1939-'45

that Benjamin Britten composed his War Requiem

for the inauguration of Coventry Cathedral in 1962,

an event which in so many ways was an act of reconciliation

after the death and destruction of war.

In this great work - some have called it his masterpiece,

others have likened it in its immense popular impact already

to The Messiah -

Britten gives the universal theme of death

as expressed in the litany of the church

a terrifying relevance to life today

by setting against the Latin requiem mass

a number of the poems of Wilfred Owen,

whose work and whose life as a soldier poet of the First World War

many of you will have heard about

in the programme which preceded this one.

The futility of man murdering man, Owen's bitter theme,

was given especial poignancy at that performance in Coventry Cathedral

when the part of the tenor soldier was sung by Peter Pears

and the baritone soldier was Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,

the great German baritone.

"I was the enemy who killed my friend."

The requiem's a complex work,

but somehow it hardly needs any explanation.

But if you're hearing it for the first time,

a few pointers may be helpful.

Against the processional solemnity and the church bells

of the opening movement,

Requiem Aeternam, "Eternal rest grant them, O Lord,"

is set the sardonic comment of Owen's sonnet,

"What passing bells for those who die as cattle?"

In the Dies Irae, the church speaks of the terrors

of the Day of Judgement,

but the two soldiers think of the terrible and violent death

which could come to them tomorrow.

"Bugles sang, saddening the evening air."

The Offertorium is a Latin prayer for deliverance,

and against this we have Owen's poem

which tells of Abraham's offering of the young Isaac,

only in this case,

the offer of God to substitute the ram of pride is not accepted,

and the result is the wilful slaying

of half the seed of Europe, one by one.

In the Sanctus which now follows,

the contrast between the serenity of the mass -

"Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth" -

and the bitterness of immediate experience -

"My fiery heart shrinks, aching. It is death" -

is perhaps felt most acutely of all.

The Agnus Dei, "O lamb of God,

"that takest away the sins of the world,"

is grimly echoed with Owen's 20th-century picture of Christ,

"One ever hangs where shelled roads part".

And finally, the wonderful poem Strange Meeting,

"It seemed that out of battle I escaped,"

takes the soldiers into a place of reconciliation.

"'Strange friend,' I said, "'here is no cause to mourn.'"

And to the final benediction of peace, "Let us sleep now,"

as the closing words of the requiem mass are uttered,

"Requiescant in pace," "May they rest in peace. Amen."

The mass itself is scored for soprano soloist, full chorus and orchestra,

the poems for two male soloists and a chamber orchestra.

And there's a third element,

a chorus of boys' voices with organ accompaniment,

which suggests a world of innocence and peace

which is remote indeed from the battlefield of men.

Two of tonight's soloists took part in the first performance at Coventry,

the soprano Heather Harper and the tenor Peter Pears.

The third is the baritone Thomas Hemsley,

who has, strangely, spent much of his professional career in Germany.

The chamber orchestra, the Melos Ensemble, leader Emmanuel Hurwitz,

is conducted by Benjamin Britten.

The others taking part are the BBC Chorus and Choral Society,

the boys from Emanuel School, conductor Christian Strover,

the London Philharmonic Choir, conductor Frederic Jackson,

Simon Preston, who plays the organ and the chamber organ,

and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, leader Hugh Maguire,

conducted by Meredith Davies.

APPLAUSE

Now here is the leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Hugh Maguire.

APPLAUSE

Now, here are the soloists.

First, Thomas Hemsley

followed by Peter Pears.

Benjamin Britten,

who will conduct the Melos Ensemble,

and Meredith Davies.

Benjamin Britten, they are applauding.

War Requiem by Benjamin Britten.

"My subject is war and the pity of war."

Requiem Aeternam. Eternal rest, grant them, O Lord.

# Requiem, requiem Requiem aeternam

# Requiem aeternam

# Requiem, requiem Requiem aeternam

# Requiem aeternam

# Requiem aeternam Dona eis, Domine

# Dona eis, Domine

# Dona eis, Domine

# Et lux perpetua Perpetua

# Et lux perpetua Perpetua

# Luceat eis

# Luceat eis

# Requiem aeternam

# Done eis, Domine

# Et lux perpetua

# Luceat eis

# Te decet hymnus Deus in Sion

# Te decet hymnus Deus in Sion

# Et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem

# Et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem

# Exaudi orationem meam

# Exaudi orationem meam

# Ad te omnis caro veniet

# Ad te omnis caro veniet

# Requiem, requiem Requiem aeternam

# Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine

# Et lux perpetua

# Luceat eis

# Requiem aeternam

# Dona eis, Domine

# What passing bells for these who die as cattle?

# Only the monstrous anger of the guns

# Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle

# Can patter out their hasty orisons

# No mockeries for them from prayers or bells

# Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs

# The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells

# And bugles calling for them from sad shires

# What candles may be held to speed them all?

# Not in the hands of boys

# But in their eyes shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes

# The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall

# Their flowers The tenderness of silent minds

# And each slow dusk a drawing down of blinds

# Kyrie eleison

# Christe eleison

# Kyrie eleison. #

In the Dies Irae, the Latin speaks of the terror of mankind

on the Day of Judgement and pleads to Christ for mercy.

But the soldiers speak of fears on the eve of battle.

Though, "Death," they say, "was never enemy of ours."

They call on the great gun to destroy evil and, finally,

the tenor sings of intense grief at the death of a comrade,

"Move him gently into the sun."

Dies Irae.

# Dies irae

# Dies illa

# Solvet saeclum in favilla

# Teste David cum Sibylla

# Teste David cum Sibylla

# Quantus tremor est futurus

# Quando Judex est venturus

# Cuncta stricte discussurus

# Cuncta stricte discussurus!

# Tuba mirum spargens sonum

# Per sepulchra regionum

# Coget omnes ante thronum

# Coget omnes ante thronum

# Coget omnes ante thronum

# Mors stupebit et natura

# Cum resurget creatura

# Judicanti responsura

# Judicanti responsura Judicanti responsura

# Bugles sang saddening the evening air

# And bugles answered sorrowful to hear

# Bugles sang Bugles sang

# Voices of boys were by the river side

# Sleep mothered them and left the twilight sad

# The shadow of the morrow weighed on men

# Bugles sang

# Voices of old despondency resigned

# Resigned

# Bowed by the shadow

# Shadow of the morrow

# Slept

# Liber scriptus proferetur

# In quo totum continetur

# Unde mundus judicetur

# Judex ergo cum sedebit

# Quidquid latet, apparebut

# Nil inultum

# Nil inultum remanebit

# Remanebit

# Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?

# Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?

# Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?

# Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?

# Quem patronem rogaturus

# Quem patronem rogaturus

# Cum vix justus sit securus?

# Cum vix justus sit securus?

# Securus

# Rex tremendae majestatis

# Qui salvandos salvas gratis

# Rex tremendae

# Salva me, fons pietatis

# Majestatis

# Salva me, fons pietatis

# Rex tremendae majestatis

# Qui salvandos salvas gratis

# Salva me, fons pietatis

# Rex tremendae

# Majestatis

# Out there

# We've walked quite friendly up to Death

# Sat down and eaten with him Cool and bland

# Pardoned his spilling mess-tins in our hand

# We've sniffed the green thick odour of his breath

# Our eyes wept but our courage didn't writhe

# But our courage didn't writhe

# He's spat at us with bullets and he's coughed

# Shrapnel Shrapnel

# We chorused when he sang aloft

# We whistled while he shaved us with his scythe

# Oh, Death was never enemy of ours!

# We laughed at him

# We leagued with him

# Old chum

# No soldier's paid to kick against his powers

# We laughed We laughed

# Laughed

# Knowing that better men would come

# And greater wars

# When each proud fighter brags

# He wars on Death

# For life

# Not men

# For flags

# Recordare Jesu pie

# Quod sum causa tuae viae

# Ne me perdas illa die

# Quarens me, sedisti lassus

# Redemisti crucem passus

# Tantus labor non sit cassus

# Ingemisco, tamquam reus

# Culpa rubet vultus meus

# Supplicanti parce Deus

# Qui Mariam absolvisti

# Et latronem exaudisti

# Mihi quoque spem dedisti

# Mihi quoque spem dedisti

# Inter oves locum praesta

# Et ab haedis me sequestra

# Statuens in parte dextra

# Inter oves locum praesta

# Et ab haedis me sequestra

# Confutatis maledictis Confutatis maledictis

# Flammis acribus addictis

# Voca me cum benedictis

# Cum benedictis

# Confutatis maledictis Confutatis maledictis

# Oro supplex et acclinis

# Cor contritum quasi cinis

# Gere curam mei finis

# Mei finis

# Confutatis maledictis

# Oro supplex

# Confutatis maledictis

# Et acclinis

# Cor contritum

# Gere curam mei finis

# Gere curam mei finis

# Gere curam mei finis

# Oro supplex et acclinis

# Confutatis maledictis

# Be slowly lifted up

# Thou long black arm

# Great gun towering toward heaven

# About to curse

# Reach at that arrogance

# Which needs thy harm

# And beat it down

# Before its sins grow worse

# But when thy spell be cast

# Complete and whole

# May God curse thee

# And cut thee from our soul!

# Dies irae

# Dies illa

# Solvet saeclum in favilla

# Teste David cum Sibylla Teste David cum Sibylla

# Solvet saeclum in favilla Solvet saeclum in favilla

# Teste David cum Sibylla Teste David cum Sibylla

# Teste David cum Sibylla

# Quantus tremor est futurus

# Quando Judex est venturus

# Cuncta stricte discussurus

# Lacrimosa

# Lacrimosa

# Dies illa

# Lacrimosa

# Lacrimosa

# Qua resurget

# Ex favilla

# Ex favilla

# Judicandus

# Homo reus

# Homo reus

# Judicandus

# Homo reus

# Huic ergo

# Parce Deus

# Move him Move him into the sun

# Gently, gently

# Its touch awoke him once

# At home, at home

# Whispering of fields unsown

# Always it woke him, woke him

# Even in France

# Until this morning

# And this snow

# If anything might rouse him

# Rouse him now

# The kind old sun will know

# Lacrimosa

# Lacrimosa

# Dies illa

# Think, think How it wakes the seeds

# Woke, once The clays of a cold, cold star.

# Are limbs, limbs so dear achieved

# Are sides, full-nerved still warm

# Too hard to stir?

# Was it for this

# The clay grew tall?

# Qua resurget

# Ex favilla

# Was it for this For this

# The clay grew tall?

# Judicandus

# Homo reus

# Oh, what, what made fatuous

# Fatuous sunbeams toil

# To break earth's sleep

# At all?

# Pie

# Jesu

# Domine

# Dona

# Eis

# Requiem

# Amen. #

The Offertorium is a Latin prayer to Christ for deliverance

and to St Michael to lead the souls of the dead into the light,

according to Abraham's promise.

Owen gives the story of Abraham's offering of Isaac a savage twist

by making him refuse the ram God offered for sacrifice instead.

"But the old man would not do so, but slew his son

"and half the seed of Europe, one by one."

Offertorium.

# Domine Jesu Christe

# Rex gloriae

# Libera animas omnium fidelium

# Defunctorum de poenis inferni

# Et de profundo lacu

# Domine Jesu Christe

# Jesu Christe

# Rex gloriae

# Libera eas de ore leonis

# Ne absorbeat eas tartarus

# Ne cadant in obscurum

# Domine Jesu

# Ne cadant in obscurum

# Jesu Christe

# Sed signifer sanctus Michael

# Repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti

# Et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti

# Et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti

# Et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti

# Et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti

# Et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti

# Et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti

# Et semini ejus

# Et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti Et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti Et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti Et semini ejus

# So Abram rose and clave the wood and went

# And took the fire with him and a knife

# And as they sojourned both of them together

# Isaac the firstborn spake and said, my father

# My father

# My father, behold the preparations

# Fire and iron

# But where the lamb for this burnt offering?

# Then Abram bound the youth

# With belts and straps

# And builded parapets

# And trenched there

# And stretched forth the knife to slay his son

# When, lo!

# An angel

# Called him out of heaven

# Saying

# Lay not thy hand upon the lad

# Neither do anything to him

# Behold, a ram caught in a thicket by its horns

# Offer the ram of pride instead of him

# But the old man would not so

# But slew his son

# And half the seed of Europe

# One by one

# Half the seed of Europe

# One by one

# Hostias et preced tibi Domine

# Laudis offerimus

# Half the seed of Europe

# Tu suscipe pro

# Animabus illis

# One by one

# Quarum hodie

# Memoriam facimus Memoriam facimus

# Half the seed of Europe

# Fac eas, Domine

# De morte transire ad vitam

# One by one

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus

# One by one

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus

# Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus

# Et semini ejus. #

In the Sanctus, the church sings ecstatically,

"Hosanna in excelsis." And here we have Owen's own hopeless, bleak

vision of the Day of Judgement after the blast of lightning from the East.

Contrast is total. And then comes the Agnus Dei, O lamb of God,

where Owen's personal vision of crucifixion,

"One ever hangs where shelled roads part,"

brings some measure of resolution.

# Sanctus

# Sanctus

# Sanctus

# Dominus Deus Saboath

# Dominus Deus Saboath

# Sanctus

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Pleni sunt ceoli et terra gloria tua

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Sanctus

# Benedictus Benedictus

# Benedictus

# Qui venit in nomine

# Benedictus

# In nomine Domini

# In nomine Domini

# Benedictus

# Benedictus Qui venit

# Benedictus

# Qui venit in nomine Domini

# Benedictus Qui venit

# Qui venit

# Qui venit

# Qui venit in nomine

# In nomine

# In nomine

# In nomine

# Qui venit in nomine

# Qui venit in nomine

# Domini

# Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna in excelsis

# Hosanna in excelsis

# Sanctus

# After the blast of lightning

# From the East

# The flourish of loud clouds

# The Chariot Throne

# After the drums of time

# Have rolled and ceased

# And by the bronze West

# Long retreat is blown

# Shall life renew these bodies?

# Of a truth

# All death will He annul

# All tears assuage?

# Fill the void veins of Life again with youth

# And wash with an immortal water

# Age?

# When I do ask white Age

# He saith not so

# My head hangs weighed with snow

# And when I hearken to the Earth

# She saith

# My fiery heart shrinks, aching

# It is death

# Mine ancient scars

# Shall not be glorified

# Nor my titanic tears

# The sea

# Be dried

# One ever hangs

# Where shelled roads part

# In this war

# He too lost a limb

# But His disciples

# Hide apart

# And now the Soldiers bear with Him

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi

# Dona eis requiem.

# Near Golgotha strolls many a priest

# And in their faces

# There is pride

# That they were flesh-marked by the Beast

# By whom the gentle Christ's denied

# Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi

# Dona eis requiem

# The scribes on all the people shove

# And bawl allegiance to the state

# Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi

# But they who love

# The greater love

# Lay down their life

# They do not hate

# Dona eis requiem

# Dona nobis pacem. #

The last movement is the Libera Me -

"Free Me, O Lord, from eternal death" -

which ends with the final prayer from the boys' voices,

"Grant them eternal rest, O Lord."

Meanwhile, in Owen's poem, Strange Meeting,

the soldiers are led after death to a parallel reconciliation and peace.

"I was the enemy you killed, my friend...

"Let us sleep now." Libera Me.

# Libera me

# Libera me, Domine

# Libera me

# De morte aeterna

# De morte aeterna, de morte aeterna

# De morte aeterna

# In die illa tremenda

# In die illa tremenda

# Libera me

# De morte aeterna, libera me, Domine

# In die illa tremenda

# In die illa tremenda

# In die illa tremenda

# Libera me

# Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra

# Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra

# Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra

# Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra

# Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra

# Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra

# Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra

# Libera me

# Libera me, Domine

# De morte aeterna

# Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem

# Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem

# Libera me

# Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem

# Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem

# Libera me, libera me

# Libera me, libera me

# Libera me, libera me, Domine

# Tremens factus sum ego, et timeo

# Tremens, tremens, tremens

# Factus sum ego, ego, et timeo

# Tremens, tremens, tremens

# Factus sum ego Factus sum ego, sum ego

# Ego, et timeo

# Dum discussio venerit Atque ventura ira

# Libera me

# Libera me, Domine

# De morte aeterna

# Quando coeli movendi sunt i terra

# Dies illa, dies irae, calamitatis

THEY REPEAT VERSE

# Et miseriae, dies magna et amara valde

# Libera me

# Libera me

# Libera me, libera me

# Libera me

# Libera me, Domine

# Domine

# Libera me, Domine

# Libera me, Domine

# Domine

# It seems that out of battle I escaped

# Down some profound dull tunnel

# Long since scooped

# Through granites which titanic wars had groined

# Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned

# Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred

# Then, as I probed them

# One sprang up, and stared

# With piteous recognition in fixed eyes

# Lifting distressful hands as if to bless

# And no guns thumped

# Or down the flues made moan

# "Strange friend," I said

# "Here is no cause to mourn"

# "None", said the other

# "Save the undone years

# "The hopelessness

# "Whatever hope is yours

# "Was my life also

# "I went hunting wild

# "After the wildest beauty in the world

# "For by my glee might many men have laughed

# "And of my weeping something had been left

# "Which must die now

# "I mean the truth untold

# "The pity of war

# "The pity war distilled

# "Now men will go content with what we spoiled

# "Or discontent boil bloody and be spilled

# "They will be swift with swiftness of the tigress

# "None will break ranks though nations trek from progress

# "Miss we the march of this retreating world

# "Into vain citadels that are not walled

# "Then, when much blood had clogged their chariot-wheels

# "I would go up and wash them

# "From sweet wells

# "Even from wells we sunk too deep for war

# "Even from the sweetest wells that ever were

# "I am the enemy you killed, my friend

# "I knew you in this dark

# "For so you frowned yesterday

# "Through me as you jabbed and killed

# "I parried

# "But my hands were loath and cold

# "Let us sleep now"

# Let us sleep now...

# In paridisum deducant te Angeli

# Let us sleep now Let us sleep now

# In tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres

# Let us sleep now Let us sleep now

# Et perducant te in civitatem sanctam

# Let us sleep now Let us sleep now

# Let us sleep now Let us sleep now

# Jerusalem

# Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat

# Let us sleep now Let us sleep now

# Et cum Lazaro quondam paupere aeternam

# Habeas requiem

CHORUS AND SOLOISTS SING VERSES OVERLAPPING

# Let us sleep now...

ORCHESTRA CRESCENDOS

BELL TOLLS LOUDLY

# Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine...

BELL TOLLS

# Et lux perpetua luceat eis

# Let us sleep now...

ORCHESTRA DIMINUENDOS

BELL TOLLS QUIETLY

# Requiescant in pace

BELL TOLLS QUIETLY

# Amen

# A-a-men. #

APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

AUDIENCE STAMP FEET