The concepts of death and music have always been intertwined. Music has often been inspired by the death of the near and dear of a composer. Even the generic concept of the death and the mysterious nature and uncertainty that death contains makes it conducive for the inspiration required to make such moving and melancholic pieces about death, made since time immemorial. From the very beginning of civilization, each ancient culture has taken it’s own interpretation of death and the general feelings towards death and channeled it into music, for example, our own culture considers death a form of ‘liberation’ of the soul and this is why we see funeral processions that almost seem celebratory, with the large percussion instruments and dances that take place on the streets. The Greek’s oldest surviving folk song is called “The dead brother’s song” with it’s themes of the supernatural and resurrection, similar to its mythological beliefs. Similarly, most ancient civilizations have their own songs about death that show us a collective understanding of what they believe death is.
The middle ages brought a more melancholic tone to death with the beginning of this period, the dark ages, being a period where music had lost its importance. Warring nations, disease and barbarism brought the feelings of fear out in the music. However, this music never took prominence in the historical and world stage.
The renaissance and enlightenment age brought music into the foray and gave us some of the finest pieces of classical music today. One of the most striking and obvious pieces of classical music when it comes to death, has to be, Bach’s “Come, Sweet Death”.
Tchaikovsky’s own ballads have always had tones of melancholy and the element of death within them. The fact that many of these musicians, lived eccentric and even sorrowful and short lives is why so many of them could come up with moving pieces that talk to us about death, be it in a glorified manner or a desolate manner. Death surrounded most aspects of their music, even Beethoven last known piece ” Requiem Mass in D minor”, wasn’t finished by him owing to his death and it was only completed after his death by a fellow composer, giving it, its own hint of melancholy.
Modern music has various interpretations and emotions when it comes to death. The onset of ‘Rock Music’, gave a more straightforward tone to the theme of death in music, with many songs, about the mourning of the death of a loved one from Don Mclean’s “American Pie” , which speaks of not just Buddy Holly’s death but also the death of the America Don Mclean reminisces in his song.
To Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” (Which talks of the tragic death of his 4 year old son).
There also came songs that sought to understand the nature of death and how our lives are constantly surrounded by death and the fear of it.This especially came up with the countercultural music of the 60’s and 70’s from bands like Pink Floyd, with songs like ‘Time’ and “Wish you were here”
And Blue Oyster Cult, with their hit song “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”.
A band that constantly courted the notion of death, was “The Grateful Dead”, as their name would suggest.
Modern music diversified into genres that took various forms of music and each genre had a composer who wrote of their encounters and experiences with death (not of their own of course). Metal music had been known to speak of death in it’s various tones from melancholia to glorification, which we see in Metallica’s “ Fade to Black ”
And Iron Maiden’s “Dance of Death” respectively.
Modern metal music has bands like Opeth, who’s whole album touch the concept of death, owing to the death of the lead singer’s grandmother. Many have called the album, known as Damnation, an anthology of Death.
Modern music that often goes unnoticed with regard to theme of death is Rap Music. This music is a form of cultural expression that has often been brushed aside, due to the notion that it’s music is seen as derogatory and vulgar, but Rap artists say that their music is nothing but a reflection of society in the Ghetto’s and poorer areas of cities in the western world, where an individual grows up in the midst of crime, drugs, violence and oppression. Artist, like 2pac.
http://www.westword.com/music/five-songs-that-foreshadowed-2pacs-death-5717687
Eminem, Dr.Dre, Notorious B.I.G, write of their own experiences in what they call ‘the hood’, that provide a stark reality of life and more importantly, death, in the ghettos of American cities.
Today we have both a historical and international collection of music that shows us the hundreds and thousands of takes on death and we choose to take solace in our preferred forms, many a times. Yet the concept of death will continue to intrigue or sadden us and continue to inspire great pieces of music in the days to come.
Atreya Arun
1413404
Thought Circus 