In light of
Halloween this Friday, let’s talk about deathly sounds and spooky tales found
within the classical music world. Coming up on Halloween I’ll even provide my
“Horrifying Music of Halloween” playlist to accompany your evening activities.
Have you heard of
the Dies irae? This theme comes from the Mass of the Dead and has been used by
composers for hundreds of years as an underlying message or symbol in their own
work. Today, I want to share three famous examples of where this Dies irae can
be heard in the music of Berlioz, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff. First, why not
familiarize yourself with this theme with a clip taken from a film that chose
to foreshadow death through its soundtrack, The
Shining.
During the 19th
century, composers were fascinated with anything macabre and sought to
incorporate deathly sentiments in their music. One such example is the fifth
movement of Berlioz’s Symphonie
fantastique known as “Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath.” Berlioz uses what is
known as the idee fixe or “fixed
idea” throughout his composition. This fixed idea is a musical theme that comes
back in each movement, changing each time it appears in order to match the
story the composer seeks to convey through his music.
During this
finale movement, “Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath,” Berlioz distorts the idee fixe and combines it with the Dies
irae theme in order to depict a dream of his beloved appearing at his own
funeral as a witch. As you listen to the excerpt below, listen for the
distorted sounds of the idee fixe in
the E-flat clarinet and the Dies irae theme that Berlioz weaves throughout.
Another example
of the Dies irae can be found in Liszt’s Totentanz,
a work for piano and orchestra. Many musicologists believe this work was
inspired by a fresco Liszt saw while visiting Pisa. Created by Orcagna, the
fresco was entitled The Triumph of Death.
 |
| Courtesy of wikimedia.org |
Liszt begins this
work with the Dies irae theme in the trombones. This theme, along with sudden
shifts in dynamics and the use of low registers creates a creepy atmosphere for
the listener. Listen here:
This past week,
we had pianist Andre Watts in the WGUC studio prior to his performance with the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. When asked to name his favorite use of the Dies
irae in music, Watts immediately told us that, as a pianist, Liszt’s Totentanz.
Lastly today,
let’s listen to Rachmaninoff’s haunting Isle
of the Dead. This piece is based off of the painting by Arnold Bocklin that
Rachmaninoff first saw a reproduction of in Paris in 1907. The composer felt
uneasy as he gazed at the boat holding a coffin as it approached the eerie
island.
.jpg) |
| Courtesy of wikimedia.org |
Reflecting on
this as he composed, Rachmaninoff begins his piece with the sounds of oars in
water using the dark sounds of low strings accompanied by timpani and harp. The
music evokes a lack of direction and a sense of urgency as it progresses, the
Dies irae appearing once the boat arrives at the island. This theme seems to win
out over any sounds of joy in the piece. Can you hear the Dies irae? Listen
here:
Join me next time
as we look at creepy stories associated with various classical pieces!
