Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Requiem" is a requiem mass written in memory of the composer's father, William Lloyd Webber, who died in 1982. Many thought it a surprising turn for such a populist composer as Lloyd Webber to produce a piece of "serious" music, being his first and to date only full-blown classical work. The music mixes Lloyd Webber's melodic and pop-oriented style with more complex, sophisticated and (at times) even austere forms. Lloyd Webber himself called the Requiem "the most personal of all my compositions". Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is a highly successful British composer of musical theatre. ... A requiem is a Roman Catholic mass performed in commemoration of the dead, also known in Latin as the Missa pro Defunctis. ... William Southcombe Lloyd Webber (1914-1982) was an organist and composer, and was Director of the London College of Music from 1964 until his death. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The work is scored for chorus, three soloists (tenor, soprano, boy soprano) and a large orchestra that includes organ, drum kit, and synthesizer. It was written in 1984; its first performance featuring such major names Lorin Maazel, Plácido Domingo, and Sarah Brightman (Lloyd Webber's wife at the time). The piece earned a largely negative critical reaction, many citing its lack of true depth and musical unity as examples of the weakness of the work. It is rarely performed today. In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as the modern countertenor). ... Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Boy soprano (or treble in British English; see below) is a term applied in music to a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. ... An organ is the following: In anatomy, an organ is a group of tissues which perform some function. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set - the latter an old-fashioned term) is a collection of drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments arranged for convenient playing by a sole percussionist (drummer), usually for jazz, rock, or other types of contemporary music. ... A synthesizer (spelling var. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lorin Varencove Maazel (born March 6, 1930) is a conductor, violinist and composer. ... Plácido Domingo Plácido Domingo (born January 21, 1941) is a famous Spanish-Mexican opera singer, well-known for a voice that is versatile, strong and possessed of a ringing and clear tone throughout its range. ... Sarah Brightman in La Luna: Live in Concert (2001) Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960 in Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire) is an English soprano and actress. ...

The best-known part of the piece, the "Pie Jesu" segment, was a minor "hit" and has been recorded frequently outside of the parent Requiem, including by Sarah Brightman herself.

The work won the 1986 Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition was first awarded in 1961. ...