Oskar Morawetz's fifth string quartet, Tribute to W.A. Mozart, was commissioned by the Toronto Mozart Festival Committee, with the financial assistance of the Ontario Arts Council, to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Mozart's death.

This composition is based on Mozart's last work, the Requiem, which is one of his most profound and moving compositions. Tragically, he was unable to complete it due to his premature death at the age of 35.

Morawetz uses only three themes from the Requiem: the 'Lacrimosa', 'Dies Irae', and 'Kyrie eleison'. He developed them into a kind of symphonic poem for string quartet wherein the moods vary greatly from sadness, to anger, despair, cries for help, and ultimately resignation.

Click here to view the three themes from Mozart's Requiem used in this composition, written in reduction in the composer's hand.

The opening section is based on the first eleven bars of the 'Lacrimosa Dies Illa' ('The Day of Tears'); these are the only bars of the 'Lacrimosa' Mozart was able to complete. The soft, quiet and sorrowful sighs gradually grown in tension and lead directly into the fast and dramatic 'Dies Irae' ('Day of Wrath'). Only the choir part of this section was finished by Mozart.

To dramatize the texture Morawetz chose to write against the melody restless contrapuntal lines in 16th motion contrary to a simple tremelo completed by Mozart's pupil, Süssmayr. After a tense dynamic climax the mood of drama is followed by a slow and expressive section which brings back in several variations the plaintive lines of the beginning.

This is suddenly interrupted by a robust, fast allegro. Although the melodic outline of the 'Lacrimosa' is similar, the pervading spirit of the extended and rhythmically varied lines is rather passionate, having little in common with the sorrow of its first appearance in the opening bars. The tension is further increased by the introduction of a march-like version of the 'Dies Irae'.

The growing crescendo of excitement is suddenly interrupted by slow, heavy notes depicting the desperate cry for help, 'Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison' ('Lord have mercy upon us, Christ have mercy upon us'). While Mozart treated these words in the form of a double fugue, Morawetz used as texture dense trills reminding us of the fateful drumrolls heard before battle.

The cries gradually subside and the last part of the quartet has the feeling of complete resignation to Fate.

According to one letter written by Mozart in the last days of his life, he must have been aware that his health was fading fast and that he would not be able to finish one of his greatest works. And so the music brings back now only the themes of tears and prayer to God. The composition quietly concludes in a serence celestial atmosphere of peace.

On January 17, 1992, CBC Stereo presented the Orford Quartet's Full Glory of Mozart program, which included the première of Morawetz' Tribute to Mozart quartet. CBC host Terry Campbell invited Morawetz to the studio to talk about his work:

Morawetz describes the circumstances and inspiration for his fifth quartet.

Violinist Andrew Dawes speaks about the composition.