# Mozart - Requiem in D minor Lacrimosa Dies Illa (Mockup by Valentin Partyka)



## TheRealNerevar (May 31, 2020)

I recently started to find interest in recreating some of my favourite pieces of music, not necessarily from anything film music or media oriented cues, to see how they are made and what libraries are the most adequate to do so.

So i took my all time favourite one, from the one i think is the all time best composer, and tried to recreate my own interpretation, from scratch, starting from the original score on paper, and with a good recording, to make this :



I've used : 
-Berlin strings
-Cinebrass for trumpets
-Berlin brass for the additive trombone part
-Cinewinds
-HZ01
-Philharmonik for the Organ
-Strezov Freyja for Soprano and Alto
-Strezov Wotan for Tenor and Bass

I'm looking forward to get your feedback and anything you could possibly tell to help 🙂


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## Ivan M. (May 31, 2020)

Sounds great! Well done


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## BenG (May 31, 2020)

Great job here and not an easy task! The choir is fantastic  This is one of my favorite pieces and since I know it well, I would be happy to pass along a few tips that might help with your mockup.

1. Tempo Mapping is your friend! The original has a lot of little tempo changes that contribute to a lot of realism in a virtual mockup. These are especially noticeable around the ends of phrases, cadences, etc. Also, don't be afraid to 'breathe' every now and again.

2. Consider your attacks! For a piece of this nature, it is very important to ensure your attacks, and releases for that matter, are almost coming from niente (nothing/silcence). It is a delicate piece that requires this subtle attention to detail to make all of the difference. This will also help bring out your phrasing and make your fortes stronger! Bear in mind, this was written almost in the Romantic period where contrast in dynamics exaggerated. 

3. Add some vibrato! I do not own Berlin Strings and not sure if this is possible, but this is an exceptionally emotional piece that requires a passionate vibrato from the strings if possible. 

4. Reverb/Balance. I would listen to a few different recordings to get a good sense of where thigns shoujld be placed, but this needs to be in a more 'traditional' hall or church for the full effect. The strings in particular need a bit more early reflections to get the appropriate sound and the whole piece can use a bit more tail imo. There are a few balance issues here and there that can be improved (last Amen chord for example)

Anyway, I hope this helps and again, these are very minor things that I pointed out. You did a great job with this mockup and have sold me on the amazing choir! Bravo!


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## TheRealNerevar (May 31, 2020)

Thanks a lot Benjamin, this will really help !
I will consider everything you told me, and will be correcting a little bit my already extensive tempo mapping, to make it sound even better
Thanks again !


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## BenG (May 31, 2020)

No problem and happy to help! Also, keep in mind these are mostly questions of taste and really depend on what you like personally. When listening to different recordings, you'll notice huge discrepancies in conductors interpretations.


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## arjanm (May 31, 2020)

Wow, I love the Strezov choirs in this piece!


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## Stringtree (May 31, 2020)

Vocally this was really nice! The "qua resurget ex favilla" syllables seemed so short, but then I guess they are eighth notes. Maybe it's just that these usually bloom within a concert hall? Larghetto. That's what I'm making for dinner, with some fresh mozzarella.

The first thing I noticed was the tempo map issue, and I found nine fingers pointing at me. I seriously need to get good at this in Reaper. There's a "tik-tik-tik tik-tik-tik"-ness that pervades the mockup. And in so many things I try that aren't a fraction as good as this. 

What a labor of love, man. Thanks so much for jamming on one of my favorites, opening my mind to new areas of study, and selling me new choirs. This is some seriously good work!!!

Grrrrrreat!

Greg


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## StrezovSampling (May 31, 2020)

Great job!


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## TheRealNerevar (Jun 1, 2020)

Thank you everyone for the kind answers, this will really help me grow ! 😃


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## Cathbad (Jun 1, 2020)

@TheRealNerevar Thanks for posting this. Mozart, despite how simple it might look on the page, is extremely difficult music to perform. Both in real life, and in the virtual music world. But what sublime material to work with, and you've done a super job.


I agree with @BenG's points, particularly 2. regarding strings. Not being a string player, others will have more useful advice than me about the details.


Tempo-wise, I'd try to do something like this without metronome if at all possible. Just a couple of specific suggestions, although these are just personal opinions on interpretation:

- Quite a noticeable drop in tempo at 0:45 without an obvious musical reason

- Phrase ending at 1:22 is one of those breathing places where you can take a little time, as Ben suggested

- There is often a pull back in tempo before the choir returns at 2:07

- Super picky, but the rall into the Amen is a little much for my taste, and perhaps a bit uneven? It doesn't flow into the Amen naturally.

- Re tempo generally, the Lacrimosa has a strong sense of pulse: a feeling of inevitable momentum that occurs all through the Requiem (Mozart's love of Bach? March towards death? Heartbeat?). I'd be cautious of pulling the tempo around too much, and always mindful of preserving the pulse feeling that makes the music live and move under its own power.


The choir sounds absolutely fantastic. Straight onto my future purchase list.


Now do the rest of the Requiem, and then the C Minor Mass


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## TheRealNerevar (Jun 1, 2020)

Yeah i think that what they do @StrezovSampling is really top notch, i really recommend those, and for the tempo mapping and string point of view i am in total approval, this is what i though just before uploading the piece, now you are several to point this out, i will definitely work toward this to get it better !
And @Cathbad , why not 🙏😁


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## Rex282 (Jun 1, 2020)

Sounds great Nerevar and congratulations I think you sold some Strzov library’s.


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## TheRealNerevar (Jun 1, 2020)

Haha thanks, for sure @Rex282 🙂


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## Zamenhof (Jun 1, 2020)

Well done! I've embarked on a journey like yours with Mozart's Requiem. On the page, it looks simple, but in reality a very hard job for virtual instruments.

I agree with the others that your choir is particularly impressive. I've never heard of Strezov before, and I would never have guessed that a "Lord of the Rings" choir would be so fitting for a classical piece.

I'm curious whether you feel limited by the wordbuilder? I use EW Hollywood Choir for my Mozart mockups since I want every single syllable to be perfect. But the Hollywood Choir is a bit too polished and harmless in its timbre.


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## TheRealNerevar (Jun 1, 2020)

@Zamenhof In fact yes, it's a little bit hard to get the syllables all right, because you have only a few of them at disposal, but when you try to pronounce some of them in the choir, you find that some are pretty similar, like : "La-cri-mo-sa" in Freyja : "Luh-Rih-Mo-Dak" you can fake it until you make it


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## BenG (Jun 1, 2020)

Cathbad said:


> @TheRealNerevar Mozart, despite how simple it might look on the page, is extremely difficult music to perform. Both in real life, and in the virtual music world.



Couldn't agree more and as someone who has performed Mozart on several occasions (Clarinetist), it is extremely difficult and requires the utmost control in all departments. They are simply beautiful pieces that also happen to be written like Etudes to push each instrument to it's limits...


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## TheRealNerevar (Jun 1, 2020)

I've personally never had the chance to perform Mozart, but i always try to put myself in place of each of the musicians to think about how they would play, the silences, the emphasis, i have a breath/bite controller as well to record dynamics and vibrato, helping me a lot.
It's the best purchase i've made for a long time


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## Stringtree (Jun 1, 2020)

There's that thing again that's come to the fore. A TAC MIDI controller I had never heard of. 






USB MIDI Breath Controller


Configurable MIDI Breath Controller with USB interface for use with computer based soft-synthesizers, VST sample libraries and DAW software and keyboards with USB-host.




www.tecontrol.se





There's one on my local Craigslist for its original price, but I'm not so hot on the idea of sucking on used equipment. 

I do like the many axes of control. But I could make this from some parts in the drawer. 

I've eyed the expression pedal to steal CC1 but I'm not very good with the foot. 

Stop selling stuff. (NO, don't.)

I've learned a lot from this thread.

Greg


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## TheRealNerevar (Jun 1, 2020)

@Stringtree The breath controler comes in very handy most of the time when you have to perform solo lines with pretty much every instrument in any library, and hands (and feet 😛) are free so you can put your whole body into the music you're composing (like any instrument player do).

It's even more rewarding to do so, in my point of view, more accurate, more human, more alive, faster than drawing little dots, so i will always preach towards its utility.

This could help you react as a real woodwind or brass player with the fact that you run out of breath pretty quickly and that you have to leave a little bit of space beetween certain notes in order to catch your breath.

Also can help you to emulate the natural "downfiltering" effect a real player will have on long sustained notes on brass, as long as you're running out of breath, and by doing so, lowering the strength of the dynamic over the course of the note until it stops.

I find it more realistic, but of course, you can always do it by hand.
If it sounds good, no matter the technique, then it is good 🙂


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## Stringtree (Jun 1, 2020)

I don't deserve this comprehensive response, but I'm grateful for it. I have the M-Audio 88 thingy with one modulation wheel and an expression CC input on a pedal, but it never seems to satisfy. 

Hey, today I figured out the whole Reaper scheme for ritardando and accelerando. That's because of you. The focus should be on your awesome music. 

I came back, and listened to it again. Isn't Mozart grand? You did so many of us here a favor by inspiring us. For me, you will always be the one who made me learn that. Watch out. I know some stuff now.

That choir!!! That's insane. This is my third hearing, and I've listened to the Requiem hundreds of times. It's a little bit brisk, but your work is very satisfying. 

Thank you for writing. I'm hopping up and down for what you did here. And for your graciousness in answering. I can't wait to see what you do next. 

Best regards,

Greg


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## TheRealNerevar (Jun 2, 2020)

Thank you very much Greg ! That's very kind of you


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## TheRealNerevar (Jun 4, 2020)

So, i've corrected a certain amount of issues, taking notes on what you were advising me, and i must say, it's a lot better ! (still some tempo mapping irregularities i guess, but i will correct this piece to death until i die myself ! 💀)

Here it is : 



Feel free to comment if you will 

Thank you in advance 🙏


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## TheRealNerevar (Oct 25, 2020)

I'm wondering if we'll finally have a good choir library with proper latin syllabs anytime soon, because i can tell you that faking them based on how close they sound is a pain and results on a unclear mush most of the time.
But hell that was worth the try 🙂


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