4th Movement: Tuba mirum
The fourth movement, Tuba mirum, is accompanied by a video tour of the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun in Winchester, England. Tuba mirum, like each of the composition's movements, was inspired by the beauty and grandeur of some of the world's great cathedrals and churches.
The Text Tuba mirum (The trumpet, wondrous sound) This text is from the Dies Irae section of the Requiem liturgy, stanzas 3 and 4. Tradition has it that the Dies Irae originated with St. Gregory the Great in the 4th century, though it is probably a later addition to the Mass.
The Composition While Tuba mirum is usually one of the more spectacular parts of the Requiem, with brass fanfares, timpani and a large fortissimo chorus, here I decided to focus on the sense of awe and amazement contained in the last line: “Death and nature will be astounded, when all creation rises again.” It reflects a more contemplative approach to the Tuba mirum as, at the wondrous sound, all the earth gathers before the throne of God. An early motif is repeated with assertive horns and trumpets later in the movement (at 2:40); but the Tuba mirum soon returns to the reflective tone established at the start.
Tuba mirum is scored for SATB chorus, strings (10 violas, 10 cellos, 9 double basses) and brass (6 French horns, 2 trumpets). Because this musical setting is somber and muted, violas, rather than violins, are the centerpiece of the orchestration. I chose violas because their lower register and mellow sound lends itself to this more muted interpretation.
Latin Text and English Translation
Tuba mirum spargens sonum
Per sepulcra regionum,
Coget omnes ante thronum.
Mors stupebit et natura,
Cum resurget creatura,
Judicanti responsura
The trumpet will send its wondrous
Sound throughout earth's sepulchers
and gather all before the throne.
Death and nature will be
astounded, when all creation rises again.
