Gabriel Faure’s Requiem includes seven movements – Introit et Kyrie, Offertoire, Sanctus, Pie Jesu, Agnus Dei, Libera me and In Paradisum. For this essay I will be focusing on the fourth movement of his Requiem, Op. 48, Pie Jesu (Blessed Jesus). He breaks the liturgical practice by positioning this text after the Sanctus rather than before the Offertory. Since there is no Benedictus, this prayer serves as a transition from Sanctus to Agnus Dei.

Pie Jesu is the only movement with a soprano soloist and also the only movement without a chorus. The texture is fairly thin because it only includes organ, muted strings, and harp. The organ starts in the key of Bb major, followed by the soprano entrance in the second measure. The solo line ends in a perfect authentic cadence in measure seven. This opening line forms the melodic basis for the entire movement. The strings and harp play a three measure transition based on the soprano melody which concludes in another tonic cadence. …show more content…
This seven measure period moves immediately to the dominant with the introduction of e-natural in measure twelve. The melodic contour is similar to the first period and some exact repetition occurs in the final two measures. Instead of a perfect authentic cadence in Bb major as in the first period, the melody is now in the dominant and leads to a perfect authentic cadence in F major, followed by another transition in the harp and strings. Because measure Measures 2-7 and 11-16 do not have a true antecedent-consequent phrase relationship that are treated as two periods. The first and second phrases are not exactly the same harmonically and melodically. As a listener you can here recurring themes as they are brought out.

The third section begins pianissimo over a dominant pedal point in measure
Nineteen. The soprano introduces new melodic material with repetition of the text