A German Requiem (Brahms) humanism persists through the work. Brahms purposely omitted Christian dogma. In his correspondence with Carl Reinthaler, when Reinthaler expressed concern over this, Brahms refused to add references to "the redeeming death of the Lord", as Reinthaler described it, such as . In the Bremen performance of the piece, Reinthaler took the liberty of inserting the aria "I know that my Redeemer liveth" from Handel's "Messiah" to satisfy the clergy. In addition to soprano and baritone soloists and mixed chorus, "A German Requiem" is scored for: Since Brahms inserted the fifth movement, the work shows symmetry around the fourth movement, which
An American Requiem including renowned tenor Robert Breault and baritone Simon Estes, and the Arlington Symphony conducted by the composer himself, delivered memorable concerts. Trey Graham, music critic of the "Washington Post", wrote a favorable review. One of the two that took place in New York was captured on television and subsequently broadcast over the next three years on more than 80 PBS stations across the United States. Norman Scribner, founder of the Choral Arts Society of Washington, sent a vibrant letter of support (February 20, 1996) and offered to present "An American Requiem" to the Pulitzer Prize in Music. In 1996, the