Born in Salzburg, then in the Holy Roman Empire and currently in Austria, Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. His father took him on a grand tour of Europe and then three trips to Italy. At 17, he was a musician at the Salzburg court but grew restless and traveled in search of a better position.
While visiting Vienna in 1781, Mozart was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He stayed in Vienna, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years there, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas. His Requiem was largely unfinished by the time of his death at the age of 35, the circumstances of which are uncertain and much mythologized.
Offertorium Hostias
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
laudis offerimns:
Tu suscipe pro animabus illis
quarum hodie memoriam facimus:
Fac eas, Domine,
de morte transire ad vitam.
Quam olim Ahrahee promisisti
et semini ejus.
The lyrics of IV. Offertorium by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, conducted by Herbert von Karajan Wiener Philarmoniker, are taken from the Latin Mass for the Dead. The song is sung during the Offertory section of the Mass, where the faithful offer bread, wine, and other gifts to the Lord as a sign of their gratitude and devotion. In the lyrics, the faithful are offering "hostias et preces" (sacrifices and prayers) to the Lord, and asking Him to accept them on behalf of the souls of the departed, who are being remembered that day. They pray that the Lord will allow these souls to transition from death to life, as He promised to Abraham and his descendants in the Hebrew Scriptures.
The music that accompanies the lyrics is solemn and reverent, with a slow and measured pace that reflects the gravity of the words. The choir sings in unison for most of the song, but there are moments when the individual parts separate and create a beautiful harmony that underscores the emotional intensity of the lyrics. The song is a powerful testimony to the hope that the faithful have in the resurrection of the dead and the promise of eternal life.
Line by Line Meaning
HOSTIAS et preces tibi, Domine,
We offer sacrifices and prayers to you, Lord,
laudis offerimus:
We offer praises:
Tu suscipe pro animabus illis
Please accept them for the sake of those souls
quarum hodie memoriam facimus:
Whose memories we honor today:
Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam.
Please help them, Lord, to pass from death to life.
Quam olim Ahrahee promisisti et semini ejus.
As you once promised to Abraham and his descendants.
Lyrics © Histoire et Chansons, PETER PAN MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@calebwhymark1789
To think this is the last song Mozart heard as he lay on his death bed…really brings it home
@maitrejeanseke561
Merci de vos séquences musicales Mozart.
@Wosiewose
1:52 to 2:10 - really struck me as an alto singing this, both the text and the music - not sure why but it really hit home. Every time I think of someone I know that has died, this is the part I come back to. "Make it so for them, Lord! from death to life to transition." (my translation - not a really good one, but pretty literal)
@DaviSilva-oc7iv
I think it's "make them transition from death to life"
@glogordcreativo6000
Me encanta esta canción
@lucianoiovino304
Che meraviglia! Grazie
@dallasd1282
Great music good times! The second drop hits harder than anything I've ever heard!
@authenticmusic4815
Indeed
@marcelo2306
Sublime.....
@chantalou604
Quelle beauté! Les mots me manquent.