Pie Jesu (Requiem)

G. FauréOp. 48 mvt 4

Key

Bb

Time

4/4

Tempo

♩=60

AO focus

AO1

Form

Aria — soprano (or treble) solo + orchestra. The fourth movement of Fauré's Requiem. Setting of just two short phrases from the Latin sequence 'Dies irae'. Among the most-recorded sacred solo arias in the repertoire.

Teaching points

• Solo soprano texture — most Requiems have full chorus throughout; Fauré spotlights a single voice for this movement
• Treble vs soprano — the original is for soprano, but boy treble has become the canonical sound (King's College Choir's recordings)
• AO3: Fauré's Requiem rejects the wrath-of-God Dies Irae tradition. Discuss why he leaves out almost the entire Dies Irae text