Dies Irae: SATB Choral Octavo
By Ruth Morris Gray
Item: 00-PO-0003263
$2.05
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
Pickup currently not available
Description
Powerful and intense! Angular phrases and percussive attacks add to the drama in this contemporary setting of the day of wrath text. A tour de force for accomplished choirs.
Dies Irae: SATB Choral Octavo isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.
Request This Title
Tell us you want it.
Start Your Free Trial
Explore everything that's ready to play right now.
Sample Audio
1
Audio File
--:--
0:00
0:00
Sample Video
Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
12
SKU:
00-PO-0003263
More about this title
About the Composer: Ruth Morris Gray
Ruth Morris Gray has directed choirs at Rosemead High School in California since 2004, where she also teaches piano. Her compositional output spans more than 100 published choral works, demonstrating a sustained commitment to writing repertoire that challenges and engages singers at multiple levels.
Gray holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Composition from Biola University, a Master of Arts in Music Composition from UC Santa Barbara, and a California Single Subject Music Credential from California State University, Northridge. Her training across performance, composition, and pedagogy informs her distinctive approach to choral writing.
Why we love this
Gray's setting cuts through sentimentality with angular, dissonant writing that makes the Dies Irae text feel genuinely urgent rather than rote. The percussive attacks and contemporary harmonic language give accomplished ensembles a vehicle for real dramatic power, making this a smart choice for choirs ready to move beyond prettier liturgical settings.
What to expect
Jagged and unrelenting, like staring at something terrible and refusing to look away. The contemporary setting strips away any Gothic comfort and replaces it with sharp angles and raw vocality that makes the text about judgment and wrath feel present and personal rather than historical.
Who it's for
Advanced high school choirs, college choirs, and community ensembles with strong music-reading skills and experience with contemporary harmonic language. This work demands singers who can sustain focus through dissonance and commit to the drama without over-interpreting.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the angular phrases as deliberate gestures rather than smoothing them over; the awkwardness is the point and reinforces the text's intensity.
- Bring out the percussive attacks crisply and with precision, treating them as rhythmic punctuation that drives the piece forward.
- Balance clarity of ensemble sound with the dramatic intent; this isn't about blending into a wash, but about maintaining definition across all four voices even during the most intense moments.
- Prepare singers for the harmonic language by drilling sustained tones against dissonant intervals so they hear and trust the sonorities Gray is building.
How to use it
This works as a powerful centerpiece in a concert that explores different historical approaches to the Dies Irae, contrasting nicely with earlier liturgical settings. Alternatively, pair it with other contemporary sacred or secular texts to build a program around timely, unsettling themes.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and sustaining dissonant intervals with confidence
- Executing rhythmic precision and percussive articulation in complex harmonic contexts
- Maintaining ensemble cohesion through angular, non-traditional melodic phrases
- Interpreting contemporary choral writing with dramatic intensity and intentionality