In the spring term of 2025, I thought it might be possible to teach Brahms’s Requiem entirely from individual vocal parts. Here is what I handed the singers:

Over the course of the semester, they did a heck of a job with it. For the most part, they had never sung anything longer than ten minutes, so this was the first jump into long-form choral works for most of them. I’ve been reading from parts exclusively since 2012, so I have gotten used to it over the years. It was enjoyable to watch them get accustomed to the practice, which was no doubt the way Brahms’s singers read his music during his lifetime.

Below is the whole performance of it from the spring concert:

Feel free to follow along in your preferred part to see if you can count and sing it through!