Giuseppe Verdi (or 'Joe Green' in English!) was an Italian composer who dominated the Italian opera scene in the late 19th Century. Verdi's first opera – 'Oberto', written in 1839 – was a big success. But his second was a total flop. At this point he claimed that he would never compose again. This vow didn't last long though and in 1842 he wrote his most popular opera: 'Nabucco'. He went on to write 29 operas in total and became pretty wealthy as a result. He spent many years travelling around Europe, composing, teaching and going to star-studded premieres. His music was soon being performed all over the world and he had become a bit of a celebrity. He remained so for the rest of his life.
'Dies Irae' and 'Tuba Mirum' are sections of a larger piece of religious music called 'Requiem'. Verdi composed his 'Requiem' in 1874 in memory of the famous poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni. Dies Irae is Latin for 'Day of Wrath' and it tells of a person coming before God to receive judgement at the end of their mortal life. God looks back on the human's time on earth and weighs up all the good things and all the bad things that they've done. Depending on which one outweighs the other, the human is then sent to either heaven or hell.
The Dies Irae is commonly attributed to the authorship of Friar Thomas of Celano, author of the First and Second Life of Saint Francis. It is a hymn of singular awe and piety. It is customarily sung as part of the Requiem Mass, the mass said for the repose of the deceased. It is also can be said in three parts thirds during.
Although Verdi wrote this piece as part of the Catholic Mass service, the idea actually appears in all of the world's major religions in various different forms: the way you behave during this life will affect what happens to you during the afterlife. This story gives the music some context, but even without that it is still a powerful, dramatic and pretty terrifying piece which has just as much impact today as it did 100 years ago.
Listen out for: How big the piece sounds. Verdi wrote it for four solo singers, plus an enormous choir and orchestra.
Watch the introduction film at the top of the page then starting exploring the music: