Halloween Tunes

It's October, and Halloween is generally in my thoughts. I love the on-set of the Fall.     I have taken down my Summer door wreath, in favor of one with all the autumnal colors. Later in the month, I will exchange that for a more ghoulish one.

As is fitting this time of year, I get out the appropriate music to drive along with. Years and years ago, my daughter and I bought a compilation CD of Halloween-inspired tunes, "The Fright Night Classics", including Night on Bald Mountain, Swan Lake theme (remember Dracula?), Danse Macabre, March of the Gallows, the Witches Sabbath. I love to hear all the music, not only to get in the spirit of the season, but it's nostalgic of making Halloween costumes, carving pumpkins, collecting candy with my daughter.

I also like to hear some of Nightwish's rather Gothic selections, as well as another compilation "After Dark", more Cult and Bauhaus-type selections. "Bela Lagosi's Dead" and "Lucretia My Reflection" are particular favorites.

But this year, I decided to include Mozart's Requiem. Written in 1791, this Mass in D Minor is famous for some "mystery" that surrounds it. Actually, it's just that he wrote it on his death bed, and it was left unfinished, for his fellow composer, Xaver Sussmayr, to complete it. Of course, he followed the sketches Mozart had fleshed out, delivering a glorious work to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned it to commemorate the death of his wife. As Mozart was only paid a deposit on the work, his wife Constanze was quick to get it published! Thank you, Stanzie, for that!

Typically, the requiem is a mass to celebrate the souls of the dead, in a Latin format, the Roman Missal, organized as follows: The Introit, Kyrie Eleison, Gradual, Tract, Dies Irae, Offertory, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Communion, Pie Jesu, Libera Me, and finally the In Paradisum.

Mozart's work is scored for horns, bassoons, trumpets, trombones, timpani, violins, viola, cello and organ. The vocal parts include soprano, contralto, tenor, bass as well as a full choir. It's basically the full-nine-yards!

By the time you take the journey through all the sections, you have traveled from the petition of prayers for mercy, a look at Judgment and Hell, to the to the soul's arrival in Paradise (assuming the Powers-That-Be deem the particular soul in question worthy!).

Give it a listen this season. I'm sure you will be uplifted by its beauty, and you can think that it is one of the prettier things about the Halloween season.