Guest article by Lee Love
Under the direction of Dr. Stanley L. Robert; Arthur Lowndes Rich Professor of Choral Conducting and the Associate Dean of the Townsend School of Music of Mercer University, The Choral Society of Middle Georgia, joined by the Mercer University Choir, The Mercer Singers, and The McDuffie Center for Strings. will present Mozart’s Requiem on Sunday, April 22, 2018, at 4:00 p.m. at Mulberry Street United Methodist Church, here in Macon’s Historic Downtown area.
“Formerly the Macon Civic Chorale, the Choral Society of Middle Georgia has provided music to the middle Georgia area since 1975,” says Sean Hendricks, the president of the Choral Society. “Macon is fortunate to have a group of talented volunteer singers who work very hard to produce such a high quality of choral music. We are happy to share our talent with the community and even happier that the community comes out to hear us and to support our efforts.”
The Requiem Mass remains somewhat shrouded in mystery. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed part of the Requiem in Vienna in late 1791, but it was unfinished at the time of his death. The Mass was completed by Franz Xaver Sussmayr in 1792. Music historians differ as to which parts were actually composed and completed by Mozart himself. The original manuscript shows some of the finished movements penned in Mozart’s hand, and it cannot be explained to what extent Süssmayr may have depended on now-lost “scraps of paper” for the remainder of the work.
Mozart’s widow, Constanze, was responsible for a number of stories surrounding the composition of the completed work, perhaps intentionally adding to the mystery to hide the fact that the piece was not finished before Mozart’s death. Constanze was able to maximize the amount of money she could gain by passing off the completed work as her husband’s. She was later identified as the source of numerous claims, including the rumors that Mozart received the commission from a mysterious messenger who did not reveal the commissioner’s identity, and that Mozart came to believe that he was writing the requiem for his funeral.
Mozart’s Requiem remains one of the most popular chorale performances, and the enthusiasm of audiences for the piece has not dimmed with time. The Chorale Society anticipates a moving performance. Purchasing tickets ahead of time is recommended.
Tickets for this performance are now on sale and may be purchased online by visiting the Choral Society’s Website (www.csmga.org) or by email: (tickets.csmg@gmail.com). Tickets are $10 per person; free to those with a Mercer ID.
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