The Plainchant of Dies irae
On multiple occasions, music has proven that it can transmit a message without the usage of a literal message or the spoken word.
The notes of the melodies and harmonies can speak for themselves and communicate an idea and a feeling.
For the most part, major chords express happiness, excitement, brightness, and positivity, whereas minor chords bring to mind feelings of sadness, mindfulness, nostalgia, and melancholy.
In addition to chords, there are also single notes that can remind us of other things and communicate a message with us. When we hear a descending interval of a major third, we might think of a doorbell; when we hear a tritone, we might feel uneasy, and if we hear the same note being played six times with a specific rhythm, we might think of Christmas.
Did you know that there are other symbolisms with some specific notes and intervals? A set of four notes with the intervals of a minor second and a minor third are more than just a sequence of notes; they are known as the Dies irae and have been incorporated in many pieces in the history of music. The poem of the Dies irae (which literally translates to “D7ay of Wrath”) began many centuries ago, and later on, it began to be used during the Requiem Mass; therefore, it is often associated with death.
Although the Dies irae originally has text, many composers incorporate the set of notes without it and have been able to transmit a message with their music. It has become a famous melody to embrace modern ideas and a tool to recognize death.
“Dies irae” by John Caldwell and Malcolm Boyd shares that “Since Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique (1830), a rich and productive symbolism has grown up around the ancient melody, embracing not only death and the fear of death, but also the supernatural, political oppression, and even ophidiophobia.” Hector Berlioz is among the composers that have used the Dies irae, and in his case, he was able to portray this plainchant in ways to make the listeners accept or “embrace” death, and even have fun watching his interpretation. Berlioz used the Dies irae for his fifth movement of Symphonie fantastique known as the Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath. In this movement, he painted a vivid picture of what was happening thanks to his music. He created sound effects that represented the bubbling cauldrons, the skeletons, the macabre laughter, and other sounds during the witches’ dance, and the Dies irae made it even better to recognize that this was a representation of death and the supernatural.
Other composers like Rachmaninov have also used this set of notes; although, according to John Caldwell and Malcolm Boyd, it is not always certain that it was used with the intent to reference the plainchant. One of my favorite Rachmaninov pieces uses a continuation of the Dies irae. The Prelude Op. 32 No. 12 XII is a beautiful piece that, if you pay close attention to, can transport you to a mystical place and make you feel as if you were reading a tragedy and a romance.
Among the movies that have taken advantage of the historical message of this plainchant are the Lion King, Shrek, The Shining, The Lord of the Rings, etc.
It is often played during a scene that actually symbolizes or refers to death, and on other occasions, it is played during dangerous or suspenseful situations. The Dies irae is played after Mufasa’s death and also when Scar is trying to persuade others that Simba is responsible for his father’s death. Whereas, in the movie of The Lord of the Rings, the plainchant is played as Bilbo Baggins is about to engage in a life-threatening adventure.
Music can communicate so much, and if we listen carefully, we can find hidden messages or things we had not noticed before. Music can make us feel so many different emotions. It can change our mood and make us feel as if we were shifted to another dimension. The music itself can create an atmosphere that could not be conceived the same way without it and has proven to do so from the beginning.
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