Mozart's Masterpiece: Requiem Mass Commission and Legacy

In July 1791, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart received a mysterious anonymous commission to compose a Requiem Mass in D minor, K. 626. The request was delivered through an intermediary, later described as a “gray messenger,” acting on behalf of Count Franz von Walsegg, an Austrian nobleman. Walsegg intended to commemorate the death anniversary of his wife, Anna von Walsegg, who had died earlier in 1791, and planned to present the composition as his own. At the time, it was not uncommon for patrons to commission works under such conditions, particularly for private performances. Mozart accepted the commission during an already demanding period in his career. In 1791, he was simultaneously working on major compositions including the opera Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) and La clemenza di Tito. Despite these commitments, he began composing the Requiem, producing substantial portions of the work, including the Introitus and parts of the Kyrie, as well as sketches for later movements. His health, however, began to decline in the final months of the year. Accounts from Constanze Mozart and Mozart’s associates later suggested that he became increasingly preoccupied with the Requiem as his illness worsened. According to these reports, Mozart expressed concern that he might not live to complete the work and remarked that he felt as though he was composing his own funeral mass. While such statements have contributed to the enduring narrative surrounding the Requiem, they are based on recollections recorded after his death and cannot be independently verified in full detail. Mozart died on 5 December 1791 in Vienna, leaving the Requiem incomplete. Following his death, Constanze Mozart arranged for the work to be finished in order to fulfill the commission and secure the remaining payment. The completion was undertaken primarily by Mozart’s student Franz Xaver Süssmayr, who used Mozart’s drafts and instructions to finalize the composition. The completed Requiem was eventually delivered to Count Walsegg, who conducted it in 1793. Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D minor remains one of the most studied and performed choral works in the classical repertoire. Its partial authorship, combined with the circumstances of its commission and completion, has contributed to its lasting historical and musical interest.