WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: What Is Music's 'Word' for Death?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren vogebam here with another classic episode. This

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<v Speaker 1>topic is a favorite of mine. Concerns a tune that

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<v Speaker 1>became a sort of musical word or phrase for death

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<v Speaker 1>and gloom, and it absolutely permeates pop culture. I'll let

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<v Speaker 1>former Lauren explain. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vogebam here. You've

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<v Speaker 1>heard it during Star Wars, The Shining, even Home alone.

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<v Speaker 1>For decades, clever composers have woven elements of a particular

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<v Speaker 1>medieval dirge into film soundtracks to convey a sense of

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<v Speaker 1>dread and general doom where the script calls for it

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<v Speaker 1>no widely as the Day of Wrath. The original Latin

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<v Speaker 1>title for this piece is ds Era, which can also

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<v Speaker 1>translate to such sunny concepts as Judgment Day, the end

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<v Speaker 1>of the world, and death in general. The piece features

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<v Speaker 1>a mere handful of notes. Here's the basic tune. It

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<v Speaker 1>was originally composed back in the thirteenth century by a

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<v Speaker 1>Franciscan monk named Thomas of Solano. Little did he know

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<v Speaker 1>that one day his piece would be revered, repurposed, and

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<v Speaker 1>otherwise showcased in many of the biggest films to hit Hollywood.

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<v Speaker 1>Hardly what we would call a complex musical work by

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<v Speaker 1>today's standards, the piece doubles as a requiem chant and

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<v Speaker 1>features some pretty sobering Latin lyrics translated into English. The

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<v Speaker 1>first two lines read day of Wrath, the day that

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<v Speaker 1>will dissolve the world into burning coals. Here's a sample. Yes, Yes, Yes.

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<v Speaker 1>Mozart and Verdi are just two of the composers who

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<v Speaker 1>wrote original requiems based on ds era. The hymn's first

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<v Speaker 1>big movie exposure was in ninety Citizen Kane, but the

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<v Speaker 1>musical motif once you Know What to look For is ubiquitous.

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<v Speaker 1>It's prominently featured in the opening strains of The Shining

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<v Speaker 1>and a variation on it is included in the ultra

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<v Speaker 1>famous Jaws theme. Very appropriately, we might add, the shark

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<v Speaker 1>is death and doom manifested. It's in Star Wars when

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<v Speaker 1>Luke Skywalker faces the loss of his aunt and uncle,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's used throughout the Lord of the Ring series

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<v Speaker 1>to build a sense of foreboding. Occasionally, composers go with

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<v Speaker 1>a winking approach when incorporating the dirge into a soundtrack.

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<v Speaker 1>In the stop motion animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas.

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<v Speaker 1>An entire song Making Christmas is based around the sequence,

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<v Speaker 1>and in the nineties blockbuster hit Home Alone, our young

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<v Speaker 1>hero Kevin is regaled with the urban legend of old

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<v Speaker 1>Man Marley, the rumored South Bend shovel slayer. When Kevin

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<v Speaker 1>lays his eyes on the guy, composer John Williams cues

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<v Speaker 1>up a well placed strain of ds eerie to get

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<v Speaker 1>the point across. Kevin is terrified and his imagination is

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<v Speaker 1>running away with him. But ds erae isn't only effective

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<v Speaker 1>in films. The University of Georgia, for example, uses it

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<v Speaker 1>to intimidate their opponents into accepting the impending doom that

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<v Speaker 1>the song implies. It's a staple at u g A

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<v Speaker 1>football games and is frequently played the crowd by the

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<v Speaker 1>Georgia Redcoat Marching Band. Today's episode is based on the

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<v Speaker 1>article why soundtracks Love the Day of Wrath on how

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff Works dot com. Written by Aleiah Hoyt, with musical

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<v Speaker 1>pews provided by David W. Collins. For more from David,

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<v Speaker 1>including a full and fabulous episode about ds era as

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<v Speaker 1>popular music's word for death, check out his podcast. The

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<v Speaker 1>soundtrack show brain Stuff is production off I Heart Radio

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<v Speaker 1>in partnership with how stuff Works dot com, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>produced by Tyler clang Or More podcasts from my Heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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