Hanan Hadžajlić: Requiem Ex Machina

Requiem Ex Machina for six amplified voices consists of four movements performed without pause between them: I–Kyrie Eleison: Death, II–Lux Aeterna: Children of Abraham, III–Dies Irae: When All Creation Rises Again, IV–Lux Perteptua Luceat Eis: Life.

The text of the composition is predominantly made up of excerpts from the Requiem (Introitus, Kyrie, Sequentia, Communio). I also used fragments of an Orthodox prayer, the melody of the adhan (without reciting the text), silent dhikr, and significant numbers from gematria in the formation of macro-phrases. In II–Lux Aeterna: Children of Abraham, there is a quotation from N. Machiavelli’s The Prince.

Since I was writing for voices, I could not avoid the natural tendency toward voice leading–establishing compact linear and vertical constructions. At the same time, I used gestures that can be associated with any sound source, not only the voice. In one of the movements, each performer sings two different but structurally connected layers. One layer is a metric game based on a drill beat. Extremely demanding. They must be as precise as if they were singing a Mozart piece.