Lacrymosa Cover Image

Lacrymosa: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

$45.00 USD
$45.00 USD
Skip to product information
Lacrymosa Cover Image
Lacrymosa: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

Lacrymosa: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / arr. Loreta Fin

Grade: 3.5

Item: 76-44507
$45.00
Shipped

One moment…

Related Items

Lacrymosa: String Orchestra Conductor Score

$7.00
View
Description
The Requiem Mass in D Minor (K. 626) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was left unfinished upon his death in 1791. He composed only the first eight bars of the "Lacrymosa" movement, which was completed later by a student engaged by Mozart's wife. The work has long been surrounded by mythology: one being Peter Shaffer's 1979 play Amadeus, in which a mysterious messenger orders Mozart to write a requiem mass, giving no explanation for the order; Mozart (in the play) then comes to believe that the piece is meant to be the requiem mass for his own funeral. "Lacrymosa" means "tearful." Indeed, Mozart's original string parts have been described as "falling tears." In this arrangement, the choral parts are shared by the upper strings and the "tears" mostly fall from the celli. It is a truly beautiful and emotional work. (3:15)

Lacrymosa: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.

Request This Title

Tell us you want it.

Start Your Free Trial

Explore everything that's ready to play right now.
Sample Pages

Sample Audio
No sample audio found.
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series: Wilfin String Orchestra: Young String Ensemble Series
Publisher: Wilfin Music
Page Count: 62
UPC: 038081502632
SKU: 76-44507

More about this title

About the Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart composed the Requiem Mass in D Minor during the final weeks of his life, leaving the work incomplete at his death in 1791. The "Lacrymosa" movement exists as only eight bars in Mozart's own hand, a fragment completed by his student Franz Xaver Süssmayr at the request of Mozart's widow Constanze. Despite its incomplete origins, the work has become one of the most performed requiem masses in the classical repertoire, securing Mozart's place as a master of both instrumental and vocal writing across every genre he touched.

For music educators, Mozart represents an essential model of structural clarity, melodic invention, and emotional directness. His ability to convey profound grief and humanity through economical means makes his music particularly valuable for developing young musicians' understanding of how music communicates feeling without excess.

Why we love this

Loreta Fin's orchestration captures the essence of Mozart's original conception while making it entirely idiomatic for young string players. The decision to distribute the choral lines to the upper strings and reserve the "falling tears" imagery for the celli creates a transparent, emotionally direct texture that reveals how strings alone can sustain the work's contemplative power. Programming this gives your ensemble a legitimate masterwork that feels substantial without requiring preparation beyond a 3.5 level ensemble.

What to expect

Quiet desolation. The work unfolds as a prayer suspended in time, with the cellos moving like a procession of grief while the upper strings create a hushed, almost ethereal harmonic backdrop. There is no drama here, only contemplation and acceptance.

Who it's for

String orchestras working at the intermediate level who want to tackle a genuine classical masterwork without overreaching technically. This arrangement proves that Grade 3.5 ensembles can access profound musical experiences when the right adaptation meets solid pedagogy.

How to get the most out of it

  • Balance the melodic material between first and second violins carefully; the upper strings carry the harmonic content that supports the cello "tears," so resist the urge to let violins dominate.
  • Shape phrases with restraint. The emotional weight comes from stillness and space, not intensity. Allow silence to speak.
  • Support the cellos' sustained lines with absolute rhythmic stability in the accompanying voices; any wavering in the lower strings undermines the gravity of their material.
  • Take time to listen to multiple recordings before rehearsal begins. Identify interpretive choices about tempo and pacing that match your ensemble's current ability to sustain long phrases.

How to use it

This works powerfully as a concert centerpiece or the closing work of a program focused on mortality, loss, or spiritual reflection. It can anchor a thematic concert pairing classical elegance with contemporary works exploring similar emotional terrain, or stand alone as a moment of silence and introspection in an otherwise celebratory concert.

Skills your students will build

  • Sustaining long melodic lines with consistent tone quality
  • Balancing independence of string sections while maintaining ensemble cohesion
  • Shaping phrases with intention rather than relying on dynamic contrast
  • Reading and executing suspension harmonies and subtle voice-leading
  • Responding to text-painting concepts (the "falling tears" imagery) through instrumental expression

You May Also Like