Dies irae

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"Dies irae" (Latin for "Day of Wrath") is a famous medieval Latin hymn, commonly associated with the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass (Mass for the Dead).

Here's a breakdown of its key aspects:

• Authorship and Date: It is believed to have been written in the 13th century, often attributed to Thomas of Celano, a Franciscan friar, though this is debated.
• Theme: The hymn vividly describes the Last Judgment, the day when souls will be judged by God, with the righteous ascending to Heaven and the wicked condemned to Hell. It evokes imagery of fire, destruction, and the final trumpet summoning all before the divine throne.
• Structure, it is written in trochaic dimeter. Each line has eight syllables, with a stress pattern: STRESSED, unstressed, STRESSED, unstressed, STRESSED, unstressed, STRESSED, unstressed.
• Use in the Requiem Mass: It was a mandatory part of the Requiem Mass for centuries, serving as the sequence (a hymn sung after the Gradual and before the Gospel).
• Liturgical change: Following the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), its use in the Requiem Mass became optional. It can now also be used in the Liturgy of the Hours during the last week of Ordinary Time (the week before Advent).
• Musical Settings: The hymn's dramatic text and powerful imagery have inspired countless musical settings by composers throughout history. Some of the most famous include those by:
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (part of his unfinished Requiem)
• Giuseppe Verdi (in his Requiem)
• Hector Berlioz (in his Grande Messe des Morts)
• Benjamin Britten (in his War Requiem)
• Influence Beyond Liturgy: The "Dies Irae" melody, particularly its opening phrase, is instantly recognizable and has been quoted or paraphrased in numerous musical works, films, and other media, often to evoke a sense of doom, judgment, or the supernatural. Examples are:
• "Symphonie fantastique", Mvt. 5 by Berlioz
• "Dance macabre" by Camille Saint-Saens
• The movie "It's a wonderful life."
• The movie "The Lion King."