Over recent months I have been singing John Rutter’s Requiem with Fareham Philharmonic Choir. Learning and rehearsing the work prompted a question: could I one day create a Requiem of my own?That thought led me to listen to several other settings and to explore the traditional Requiem texts more closely. I eventually decided that my starting point would be the Pie Jesu:
“Pie Jesu Domine,
Dona eis requiem.”
These words may be translated as:
Loving Lord Jesus,
Grant them rest.
I decided to use both Latin and English in my setting. The Latin connects the composition with the centuries-old Requiem tradition, while the English allows the meaning of the prayer to speak directly to the listener.
Finding the central melody
Words frequently suggest melodies to me. I am often struck by their natural rhythm, shape and emotional character, and a musical phrase begins to emerge from them. In this case, the words inspired a simple, hymn-like melody in G major.
I began by writing a piano version with the vocal parts, aiming for something clear, singable and prayerful. I was also conscious that I wanted to take a different approach from Rutter’s famous Pie Jesu, which is conceived as a lyrical solo movement. My own setting would be centred upon the sound of the SATB choir.
Once I had completed this initial section, however, I became stuck. I had found the main theme, but I wasn’t yet sure how – or even whether – it should be developed.
The breakthrough came when I began to orchestrate the music. I first wrote an eight-bar instrumental introduction to establish the atmosphere before the choir’s entrance. The piece opens quietly, with restrained pizzicato strings creating a gently moving foundation. The upper strings then change to arco, and the woodwind instruments gradually begin to colour the texture.
As I worked on the introduction, I began to discover the wider sound-world ofthe piece. The orchestra consists of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trombone and strings. Rather than treating the instruments merely as accompaniment, I allowed their colours to suggest new possibilities for the music.
This gave me the material I needed to continue. The choir enters with the Latin prayer, presenting the hymn-like theme in a simple, largely homophonic texture. The vocal lines are supported and sometimes echoed by different parts of the orchestra. Pizzicato and bowed string writing alternate, while individual woodwind instruments bring changing shades of colour to the repeated phrases.
The introduction returns in a new form
I considered introducing a completely new theme, but eventually decided that the piece did not need one. Instead, I returned to the music of the instrumental introduction. The opening introduction, the choir’s first presentation of the theme and the following English section all remain in G major. When the introductory material returns later, however, it is heard in G minor. The listener therefore recognises the musical idea, but its character has changed. What initially established an atmosphere of gentle prayer now brings a more sombre colour to the piece.
This darker version of the introduction allowed me to create contrast without introducing an unrelated musical idea or generating too much dramatic tension. The music then briefly moves to A major as the choir sings Requiem. This brings a moment of harmonic brightness before the piece settles back into G major. The original hymn-like theme then returns, but with variations in the orchestration. The melody remains familiar while the instrumental colours surrounding it have changed, giving the final section a greater sense of arrival.
Keeping the music simple
One of my main intentions was to preserve simplicity. It would have been possible to develop the theme into something more dramatic or harmonically complex, but that did not feel right for these words. Pie Jesu is fundamentally a prayer: a plea to Christ for mercy and eternal rest.
The emotional journey therefore comes primarily through changes of colour, harmony and texture. The woodwind instruments sometimes answer the voices; the strings move between pizzicato motion and sustained warmth; and the brass instruments are used selectively to deepen or strengthen the sound.
Towards the conclusion, the full choir returns to the Latin text. The music grows in confidence, but it does not become theatrical. A brief reduction in intensity prepares the final statement of Requiem, where choir and orchestra come together in a broad G-major conclusion.
Writing this piece reminded me that becoming stuck is not necessarily a sign that a composition has failed. Sometimes the music has not stopped – it is simply waiting for a different way of thinking. In this case, it was the act of orchestration that revealed where the piece wanted to go.
I hope it offers a moment of peace, prayer and reflection. If you enjoy the music, please subscribe to my YouTube channel. I’ll be sharing more of my compositions there, including future movements as this new Requiem begins to takes shape
