The DIES IRAE chant

DIES IRAE

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The Dies Irae is one of the most famous chants of  the Catholic church, dated somewhere around the 13th century (go here). The chant is attached to the words of the "Dies Irae" ("Day of Wrath") inspired by the minor prophet Zephaniah's text (1:14-18). Classical ("concert") composers, such as Mozart and Verdi, usually write their own music instead of using the original chant.
    The original chant is not only important in the church but also in popular culture. It has been used (in brief quotations) countless times in movies to allude to death, much in the manner of Chopin's Funeral March, from his piano sonata.
    It would be impossible to list all the movies that use this chant. But it can be heard at the beginning of Citizen Kane and, in a comic context, in the Marilyn Monroe comedy, Some Like It Hot, when it's briefly quoted as the gangster appears near the end of the film, but all in fun.
    Famous composers have also incorporated the Dies Irae chant into their own compositions. Franz Lizst wrote an entire set of variations on the chant, called Totentanz (Dance of Death), part 1 heard here and part 2 heard here.
    The Russian composer, Sergei Rachmaninov was haunted by the chant and used it repeatedly in his music. For example, in the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini he used it four times, most boldly at the end, when the brass blares out the tune, almost in triumph, like thumbing the nose at Death.
    The final Dies Irae quote can be heard at 7:56 of the youtube video, here. But why not listen to the entire video, which starts with the famous 18th variation on the theme (one of Rachmaninov's most romantic inspirations) and includes six more variations, including the Dies Irae chant?

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