André Campra: Messe de Requiem

André Campra (1660–1744)
Messe de Requiem
André Campra’s Requiem of 1695 is one of the first great settings of the liturgy of the dead in France. It was composed during his time as Kapellmeister at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris as a commissioned work in memory of the deceased Archbishop of Paris. The work was so appreciated that from the end of the 18th centu-ry until 1805 parts of it were regularly performed at funerals or memorial services in southern France. Campra envisages four groups of performers: a five-voice Grand Choeur, a two- to three-voice Petit Choeur (which could be drawn from the Grand Choeur), three vocal soloists and an instrumental group designated as a "symphony".

Students of the Karlsruhe University of Music
Conductor Melchior Killian