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Highlighting "Requiem for Robert F. Kennedy"

Princeton Pro Musica presents a discussion of "Requiem for Robert F. Kennedy," a piece composed by Frank Lewin in 1969, in advance of its May 9 performance.

Frank Lewin's "Mass for the Dead in English (Requiem for Robert F. Kennedy)" is a landmark sacred work composed following the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Lewin was a celebrated composer and longtime resident of Princeton.

Two of Mr. Lewin’s daughters, Naomi and Miriam Lewin, will join Dr. Ryan Brandau, artistic director of Princeton Pro Musica, in a discussion about the inspiration and history of this piece.

Mr. Lewin, his wife, and three daughters waited for hours with thousands of others at the Princeton Junction train station on June 8, 1968, to view the train carrying Senator Kennedy from Washington, D.C., to New York following his assassination. The sight of the train and the people gathered to honor Kennedy motivated Mr. Lewin, who had great respect for the senator, to compose the mass. The piece is one of the first Requiems utilizing the English vernacular rather than Latin.

The Requiem was premiered at the memorial service for Kennedy on May 27, 1969, in the Princeton University Chapel. Princeton Pro Musica will perform the Requiem for the second time in the Chapel on Saturday, May 9, at 4 p.m. For more information, please visit princetonpromusica.org.

Photo: Frank Lewin preparing Kennedy Mass with soloists Sylvia Jones and Leo Goeke for premiere on May 27, 1969.

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