Two for you, when you get around to them:
Brahms' "German Requiem" uses a libretto of biblical passages rather than the traditional Roman Catholic requiem mass text. This gave Brahms a good bit more latitude to structure the work to suit his intentions (generally accepted to be his working through the loss of his mother). The fourth (and center) movement is one of my favorite sections of the work (the other being the pedal point fugue which concludes the third movement and immediately precedes this).
...switching gears
a bit, The Band's third album
Stage Fright saw them move away from the influence of Dylan into a more straightforward rock sound, and the song 'The Shape I'm In' is one of the clearest examples of that. No one seems to be sure exactly whose mixes were used on the album or the singles - both Todd Rundgren and Glyn Johns had provided versions, which gives some idea of how high the expectations were for the disc - but the song itself is one of two on the album (along with the title track) inspired at least in part by the lead singer's nervousness when performing.