Sep 18, 2019 07:00:00

What is the fixed melody 'Dies irae' used in the tragic scenes of many movies?

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Dies irae ' is one of the parts of the chant used in the Catholic church mass, and is well known for those composed by Mozart and Verdi, which are counted as '3 major requiems'. In fact, the melodies that form the axis of these songs were established around the 13th century, and are used in many tragic scenes in many movies.

Why this creepy melody is in so many movies-YouTube


In the movie ' Lion King ', the scene where Mfasa, the father of the main character, Simba, died ...

The scene where Luke Skywalker's uncle and aunt were killed in '

Star Wars Episode 4 / New Hope '.

And there are many impressive tragic scenes in famous movies, such as the scene where George Bailey decided to die in 'Great

Life, Life! '

In fact, these tragic scenes have something in common.

That is the BGM that flows behind the scenes.

Each scene uses an impressive melody composed of four sounds.

Actually, this melody is widely used in other movies ...

'

Batman Returns '

The same melody is used in ' Lord of the Rings '.

In fact, this melody has been associated with 'death' for over 800 years.

This melody frequently used in the tragic scenes of movies is called ' Dies irae '.

Around the 13th century a Catholic monk selected the melody of the

Gregorian chant “Dies irae”.

Gregorian Chant-'Dies Irae'-YouTube


Dies irae was used in a funeral.

Dies irae, translated as “Anger Day”, refers to the day in Christ when Christ revives all humans to the earth and judges.

It seems that the referee will decide whether people will go to heaven or hell.

Prof.

Alex Ludwig of Berklee College of Music is a person who studies the melody of Dies irae.

Ludwig makes a huge list of 'movies using the tunes of Dies irae'.

“Music and film context combine to create an eerie fear,” Ludwig describes the effects of Dies irae.

Dies irae was born in the 13th century, and spread with the expansion of the influence of the church ...

Eventually

, it was used in places other than church rituals, such as “ Requiem ” composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart .

Furthermore, in 1830, Dies irae's position in the culture was further enhanced by the “

fantasy symphony ” composed by French composer Hector Berlioz .

In fantasy symphony, the melody of Dies irae is used very effectively. Berlioz's fantasy symphony is said to be a musical expression of the story of `` an artist with rich imagination who deeply despaired in love and sucked opium '', such as the funeral that Dies irae was originally used It is not directly related.

However, in

the 5th movement 'Dream of the Witch's Night Party' , Dies irae is used as the theme, and the eerie atmosphere of music is highlighted.

In addition,

Franz Liszt 's ' But of Death ' and ...

Many great composers, such as

Giuseppe Verdi 's “ Requiem, ” created music using Dies irae.

And Dies irae came to be used for music used in movies.

When Dies irae is used in a movie, it is an ominous or dark indication.

Early silent movies were often accompanied by orchestras and performed songs in time with the movies.

In '

Metropolis ' released in 1927, Dies irae was used as music to match the movie.

Metropolis is a science fiction movie that depicts a thorough class society that has been divided into a dominant class and a working class, and uses Dies irae effectively.

Dies irae has been used in many films as a simple and impressive melody that reminds me of a terrible development.

Among them, Dies irae used in “

Shining ” made a strong impression on many people.

“Everyone knows that shining is a horror movie, and Dies irae perfectly points to the content of the movie,” Ludwig points out.

Why Dies irae has been used in a wide range of funerals from the 13th century to modern horror movies ...

It seems that the four sounds “Fa Mi Fa Re” used in basic Dies irae give people discomfort.

Dies irae's melody is composed in a

minor , giving a dark impression and an image of sadness.

You can also see that Fah and Mi are next to each other without a black key between them when you look at the “Fa Mi Fah Re (F ・ E ・ F ・ D)” on the piano keyboard. According to Ludwig, the human ear does not like the adjacent sound.

In addition, the sound of les continues after Fa Mi Fa, and the sound goes down overall ...

The descending melody makes you image sadness.

The combination of these elements is thought to create the eerieness of Dies irae.

Dies irae's melody is culturally deep and permeates people ...

Even if it is modified like the theme of “

Exorcist ”, it can suggest a terrible image.

“It's very attractive that Dies irae's melody is still used,” Ludwig says, and the list of movies in which Dies irae is used is updated one after another.