The Dies Irae

Horror is a genre many love, not including myself as it isn’t my personal taste, though it is well acclaimed across many generations. There are so many variations, might I add! Psychological, thrasher, analog, and the list goes on. Though in many film iterations or anything scary, you might have heard the “Dies Irae”. Appearing first in the early 1200s, its lasting impact is very prominent in many forms of media, especially anything to do with horror or dread.

    The words “dies irae” are Latin for “day of reckoning/wrath”, with the lyrics following it being “dies illa” which translates to “day of sorrow”. The original song was a Gregorian chant (very old and sacred songs of the Roman Catholic Church), talking about the “Day of Reckoning” which is rather self explanatory. The chant itself is over hundreds of years old, and can be easily recognizable. Only the first five to eight notes are the most notable ones, but it’s still present! One of the first instances of this being used in a movie was in the 1946 movie “It’s A Wonderful Life”. Though it’s the first, not a lot is know of it.

    The 1980 film The Shining was the first instance of this being used in a more popular manner, as it’s easily recognizable. Ever since, if you take a close listen during a scene of agony, angst, or panic, it can be heard! Not only is it used in films, but is the name of the popular instrumentations by Mozart and Verdi. Even just the words “Dies Irae” are well known, and can be fairly easy to recognize by fellow musicians.

     It’s personally one of my favorite things to look for in a composition, and its popularity and use in Pop Culture is simply one of the best music references and leitmotifs I’ve ever heard.