Category Music
The New LDS Hymnbook: Changes and Possibilities
Recently, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that they were going to prepare a new hymnbook and children’s songbook for use in the worldwide Church. Specifically, the goal is to create unity in hymn numbers and selections that reflect the needs of a global organization. This is the first time in over […]
Of Plainchant, Jedi, and Wilhelm
“It was a plot that started in the days of the Knights of Templar and concerns death, doom, and the end of the world.” That was an introduction I gave of the Dies Irae—a commonly-used motif in music originating as a Gregorian Chant about the Judgment Day—to a friend a few years ago. In past […]
Dies Irae and the Totentanz
“I shall speak of a subject which strikes dread—even terror—into the hearts of most men. It is something we fear, of which we are sorely afraid, and from which most of us would flee if we could. “I shall speak of the passing of the immortal soul into the eternal realms ahead, of that dread […]
Dies Irae
It was the 19th of May 1790 in New England. For several days odd signs had been showing—the sky was yellow and the sun was red. Suddenly, the sky darkened further. Animals ran for cover. When seen, the moon was red and soot was seen to be floating in the river. By noon it was […]
Chad's Random Musings 