Jaren Hinckley

It’s October!  I love October!  I love the weather, I love the crunch of leaves underfoot, I love the hot cocoa, I enjoy taking my kids trick-or-treating, etc. I don’t particularly love the gruesome elements that many people seem to love about Halloween, but witches, ghosts, goblins, etc., I’m totally fine with.

So in honor of this spooky month, I thought I’d look at a piece of music that conveys a sense of doom within just a few notes. It was composed in the Middle Ages—the “Dies Irae” from the Catholic Mass for the Dead.  Its purpose was to remind listeners of the need for repentance.  Here are the first four stanzas of the text (with English translations):

1.

Latin text:  Dies iræ! Dies illa Solvet sæclum in favilla:Teste David cum Sibylla!

Poetic English translation: Day of wrath and doom impending, David’s word with Sibyl’s blending, Heaven and earth in ashes ending!

2.

Latin: Quantus tremor est futurus, Quando iudex est venturus, Cuncta stricte discussurus!
English: Oh, what fear man’s bosom rendeth, When from heaven the Judge descendeth, On whose sentence all dependeth.

3.

Latin: Tuba mirum spargens sonum Per sepulchra regionum, Coget omnes ante thronum.

English: Wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth; Through earth’s sepulchres it ringeth; All before the throne it bringeth.

4.

Latin: Mors stupebit, et natura, Cum resurget creatura, Iudicanti responsura.

English: Death is struck, and nature quaking, All creation is awaking, To its Judge an answer making.

Again, its purpose was to bring those left behind to repentance, to fill them with a sense of doom; hence, the language is a tad strong and fire-and-brimstone-ish.  As a result, this melody has been used either note for note (quoted) or paraphrased throughout the centuries by countless composers whenever they want to automatically infuse their music with a sense of doom.  The moment listeners hear the first four notes of the “Dies Irae” plainchant melody, they know that something dark is afoot.

So for the month of October, each week, my post will be about a different piece of music that features the “Dies Irae,” some serious, some less so.

First, listen to the original plainchant melody, just the first four stanzas (printed music below):

And now…the piece that quotes it!  (I’m also giving it it’s own new heading.)

I’m Listening to Everything Composed by Peter Schickele

TITLE:  Brass Calendar

DESCRIPTION OF THE PIECE:  Featuring twelve movements (only one of them is longer than two minutes), this piece for brass quintet takes the listener through an entire year of holidays or significant yearly occurrences.  I’ll briefly describe each one and I’ve included a clip of the most seasonally-appropriate one: movement ten.

Mvt. I. January: New Year’s Day

A melancholy-sounding movement, perhaps reflecting the after-effects of New Year’s Eve partying.

II. February: Valentine’s Day

A whimsical waltz-like piece with mixed meter.

III. March: St. Patrick’s Day

A modern twist on an Irish Jig.

IV. April: Income Tax Day

Minimalist ascending scales at different speeds, perhaps representing columns of figures, or rows of accountants busy at work.

V. May: Memorial Day Picnic

Somewhat austere, nostalgic sound.

VI. June: Flag Day

Extremely short movement (eighteen seconds!) which I guess represents the flag blowing in the wind?

VII. Independence Day Parade

A riff on “Yankee Doodle” and, at least in the recording I listened to, perhaps trying to be reminiscent of amateur marching bands (a la Charles Ives).  I loved this movement!

VIII. August: Dude Ranch Vacation

A jazz/blues-inflected tune that sounds like “the Old West.”  Great movement!

IX. Labor Day Weekend Dance

I’ve never been to a Labor Day Weekend Dance, but this sounded like a turn-of-the-century (the 19^th to 20^th turn) dance melody with Schickele’s delightful unusual key changes and klangfarbenmelodie (a musical technique that involves splitting a musical line or melody between several instruments, rather than assigning it to just one instrument (or set of instruments).

X. October: Halloween

I shall discuss this one below (under “Highlight”), complete with a recording of the movement.

XI. November: Thanksgiving

Chorale-esque.

XII. December: Alone on New Year’s Eve

Another melancholy waltz.  Perhaps this is foreshadowing the melancholy of the first movement!  Aha!

HIGHLIGHT:  The tenth movement, of course!  It’s October!  So it has to be the Halloween movement!  In this movement, Schickele plays around with the “Dies Irae” melody using more klangfarbenmelodie.  Maybe listen to the original “Dies Irae” chant (above) one more time before listening to this so that you recognize the melody. It also sounds like he’s also paraphrasing elements from the “Batman” tv series theme song.  Here’s the batman opening motif—you all know it…

And here’s the brass blasts from a bit later on in the theme song.

So now, listen to Schickele’s tenth movement: “Halloween” and see if you don’t hear those elements, including the “Dies Irae.”

WHAT’S LEFT TO LISTEN TO BY SCHICKELE?:

Well, he’s very prolific, so it’s a substantial oeuvre, plus he’s still alive and composing, so there’ll be more!  AND, if you didn’t already know, Schickele also composed a ton of whimsical music under the pseudonym P.D.Q. Bach. It’ll take a while, but I’ll do it.