The Messa da Requiem is a musical setting of the Catholic funeral mass (Requiem) for four soloists, double choir and orchestra by Giuseppe Verdi. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, whom Verdi admired. The first performance, at the San Marco church in Milan on 22 May 1874, marked the first anniversary of Manzoni's death.
First edition title page, Ricordi, 1874
Alessandro Manzoni, in whose honour Verdi wrote the Requiem
Requiem poster for La Scala premiere, 1874
Second performance of the Requiem, at La Scala on 25 May 1874, with Verdi conducting. The soloists depicted are (left to right) Ormondo Maini [it], Giuseppe Capponi, Maria Waldmann, and Teresa Stolz
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead, is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is usually celebrated in the context of a funeral.
Requiem for Bishop Cirilo Almario, in the Novus Ordo Mass at Minor Basilica and Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Malolos, Bulacan, 2016
The Requiem, in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, celebrated annually for Louis XVI and victims of the French Revolution, in the crypt of Strasbourg Cathedral, 2013
Requiem Mass for Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria at St. Catherine's Cathedral, St. Petersburg, published in a Russian newspaper, 1914
Extraordinary Form Requiem Mass at Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini (Most Holy Trinity of Pilgrims) church in Rome
![Second performance of the Requiem, at La Scala on 25 May 1874, with Verdi conducting. The soloists depicted are (left to right) Ormondo Maini [it], Gi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Verdi_Requiem_La_Scala_premiere_by_Tofani.jpg/640px-Verdi_Requiem_La_Scala_premiere_by_Tofani.jpg)
