Dies Irae - Day of Wrath in chant and classical music

3 years ago
345

Dies Irae is this long beautiful hymn of death and foreboding and judgement and pleading for mercy. It is awesome.

Here's the page from my hymnbook:
https://newbookoldhymns.brandt.id.au/hymns/diesirae.html

And here's a related article I wrote for Corpus Christi Watershed:
https://www.ccwatershed.org/2014/05/17/gregorian-chant-star-wars/

It's also really handy for pet funerals, as it recalls last things without actually intimating that the pets have immortal souls. You wouldn't sing Requiem Aeternam for a pet animal. Come to think of it, I haven't actually asked a priest about this, so I have to defer to any more authoritative judgement here, but for what it's worth, this is my idea as a lay cradle Catholic.

I use some classical music recordings here from liberliber.it:
https://www.liberliber.it/online/autori/autori-b/hector-berlioz/symphonie-fantastique-op-14-concertgebouw-orchestra-of-amsterdam/
and
https://www.liberliber.it/online/autori/autori-s/camille-saint-saens/danse-macabre-op-40/

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