A musical history of death

[Seshmeister]

There’s a musical piece you’ve likely heard many times before—but unless you have a particularly trained ear and are also hip to the catalog of Medieval Latin hymns, you probably haven’t noticed it. It’s a musical pattern from “Dies Irae,” a haunting chant for the dead, and CBC Radio host Tom Allen has put together an impressive video history of the work.

Looping effortlessly through the halls of the Bishop Strachan School in Toronto in a single six-minute take, Allen guides us through the song’s various appearances in Western music from the 19th century to the present. He’s aided by both live musicians and clips from several movies that have incorporated the composition into their film scores, including The Exorcist and It’s a Wonderful Life. (It should be noted that the latter was released in 1946, not 1942 as Allen says in the video.)

It’s an interesting history lesson, and perhaps the next time you’re watching a big budget movie with a dramatic death scene, you’ll be able to pick out the traces of “Dies Irae” as well as Allen can.

(Via A.V. Club.)

[VHscraps]

Ah ... haha ... just before he got to the bit about who gets the credit for this much recycled tune I was thinking about plagiarism, and Jimmy Page being sued by Spirit over 'Stairway to Heaven' (a story that hit the news yesterday). The presenter says credit is claimed by ... a pope! ‘Pope Gregory said he wrote down the “Dies Irae” himself as it was dictated to him by a white dove …’ (it's okay to steal melodies from birdsong, they know nothing of copyright).

If I were Jimmy Page, I’d go for something like that – "‘Stairway to Heaven’?! But your honour, it was delivered to me, free - a gift - on the wings of a dove … from, er, heaven."

[ashstralia]

Fascinating stuff. This is another reason the Internet rocks. (P.I).
Normally you'd be deep into a musicology subject of an arts degree before you'd ever even heard of this shit...

If you play it backwards fast, it sounds like slayer. \M/

[SunisinuS]

There’s a musical piece you’ve likely heard many times before—but unless you have a particularly trained ear and are also hip to the catalog of Medieval Latin hymns, you probably haven’t noticed it. It’s a musical pattern from “Dies Irae,” a haunting chant for the dead, and CBC Radio host Tom Allen has put together an impressive video history of the work.

Looping effortlessly through the halls of the Bishop Strachan School in Toronto in a single six-minute take, Allen guides us through the song’s various appearances in Western music from the 19th century to the present. He’s aided by both live musicians and clips from several movies that have incorporated the composition into their film scores, including The Exorcist and It’s a Wonderful Life. (It should be noted that the latter was released in 1946, not 1942 as Allen says in the video.)

It’s an interesting history lesson, and perhaps the next time you’re watching a big budget movie with a dramatic death scene, you’ll be able to pick out the traces of “Dies Irae” as well as Allen can.

(Via A.V. Club.)

I refuse to either face this video or look at it.*

[VHscraps]

Fascinating stuff. This is another reason the Internet rocks. (P.I).
Normally you'd be deep into a musicology subject of an arts degree before you'd ever even heard of this shit...

If you play it backwards fast, it sounds like slayer. \M/

That made me remember something - there was a mediaeval style album of Black Sabbath covers released about 8-10 years ago. Sabbatum by Rondellus.