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Dies Irae — ancient spooky chant

Play the 16-bar medieval melody that composers from Berlioz to modern film scorers use to signal fate and the supernatural.

First notesTraditional 13th-century chant (quoted by Berlioz & Liszt) · 16-bar Dorian chant theme · piano one handPiano · One hand · D minor (Dorian) · 4/4

76 beats per minute. Changing speed stops playback; press Play to start again.

Traditional 13th-century liturgical melody; rhythmic piano arrangement by NotePlayMusic. Public domain medieval melody. Teaching arrangement newly authored by NotePlayMusic. · www.noteplaymusic.com

Try it at the keyboard

  1. Notice the opening four notes (F–E–F–D): you have heard this motif in Symphonie fantastique, The Shining, Star Wars, and The Lion King.
  2. In bars 9–12, the chant climbs up to A4 for the second strophe ("Quantus tremor") before returning to the main motif.
  3. Play with a mysterious, resonant tone.

About this score

Sets the opening 16 bars of the traditional chant into 4/4 bars on the white keys (D Dorian) for beginner piano.

Traditional 13th-century liturgical melody; rhythmic piano arrangement by NotePlayMusic. Public domain medieval melody. Teaching arrangement newly authored by NotePlayMusic.

Source notation · Source score & rights notice