Sacred Music

    Music had become so secularized by this time that there are comparatively few great sacred works.  Brahm's 'Requiem' heads the list, with Verdi's 'Requiem' a close second.  But the two works are quite different, because Brahms's Requiem uses texts from the bible and is an austere work, while Verdi's is a Roman Catholic Requiem, and is rather theatrical in style, though it is undoubtedly deeply felt.  Franck's oratorio 'Les Beatitudes', Fauré's 'Requiem' and Dvořák's 'Stabat Mater' are also quite well known.