Dies Irae
The Dies Irae sequence is the longest movement of the traditional Requiem Mass — nineteen rhymed tercets describing the Day of Judgement. The opening stanzas below are the most-set; the trochaic rhythm and tight rhyme scheme give the words a relentless forward drive that survives any musical setting.
Line-by-line IPA
Dies irae, dies illa,
[ˈdi.ɛs ˈi.ɾɛ | ˈdi.ɛs ˈil.la]
solvet sæclum in favilla,
[ˈsɔl.vɛt ˈsɛ.klum in faˈvil.la]
teste David cum Sibylla.
[ˈtɛs.tɛ ˈda.vid kum siˈbil.la]
Quantus tremor est futurus,
[ˈkwan.tus ˈtɾɛ.mɔɾ ɛst fuˈtu.ɾus]
quando judex est venturus,
[ˈkwan.dɔ ˈju.dɛks ɛst vɛnˈtu.ɾus]
cuncta stricte discussurus!
[ˈkuŋk.ta ˈstɾik.tɛ dis.kusˈsu.ɾus]
Tuba mirum spargens sonum
[ˈtu.ba ˈmi.ɾum ˈspaɾ.dʒɛns ˈsɔ.num]
per sepulchra regionum,
[pɛɾ sɛˈpul.kɾa rɛ.dʒiˈɔ.num]
coget omnes ante thronum.
[ˈkɔ.dʒɛt ˈɔm.nɛs ˈan.tɛ ˈtɾɔ.num]
English translation
Day of wrath, that day will dissolve the world in ashes, as David and the Sibyl prophesied. How great will be the trembling when the Judge comes to weigh everything strictly! The trumpet, scattering a wondrous sound through the tombs of every land, will summon all before the throne.
Diction notes
- dies — /ˈdi.ɛs/. Two syllables: /di/ + /ɛs/. Don't collapse to /djɛs/. In Verdi's setting the syllabic emphasis matters because each syllable lands on a separate accent.
- irae — /ˈi.ɾɛ/. The -ae is a single /ɛ/, not two vowels and not /eɪ/. This is the same word ending as nostrae in the Ave Maria.
- sæclum — /ˈsɛ.klum/. The æ ligature is /ɛ/. Two syllables — don't insert a vowel between c and l.
- quantus, quando — /ˈkwan.tus/, /ˈkwan.dɔ/. The qu cluster is /kw/, never /k/ alone. The w-glide is short and lands clearly on the following vowel.
- judex — /ˈju.dɛks/. Initial j is consonantal /j/; the final -x is /ks/, articulated cleanly.
- spargens, regionum, coget — /ˈspaɾ.dʒɛns/, /rɛ.dʒiˈɔ.num/, /ˈkɔ.dʒɛt/. The g before e or i is /dʒ/, same as in angelicus.
- sepulchra — /sɛˈpul.kɾa/. The ch is a hard /k/ — Latin ch never softens to English /tʃ/.
- thronum — /ˈtɾɔ.num/. The th is just /t/ — Latin has no English th fricative.
- double consonants — illa, favilla, Sibylla, discussurus. Geminate consonants are slightly lengthened. In tight ensemble passages this gemination is the easiest place to lose unity.