The “Sanctus” and
“Benedictus” are the
War Requiem’s only wholly
joyous and
untroubled sections.
Working as a textual countersubject to
the fugue is Owen’s bitter “The Parable
of the Old Men and the Young,” in
which the tenor and baritone retell the
Old Testament story of Abraham and
Isaac—this time without a happy ending. Abraham does not listen to the voice
of God telling him to spare his son, but
instead sacrifices him “and half the seed
of Europe one by one.” The horror of this
new version is intensified by barbaric
sounds fro H H