Creepy Melody Discussion

Artist: Bob Tozier
School: North Allegheny

Notes:

This melody is used in countless movies, songs and compositions. Do you think the compositions, songs, and movies are creative? Is it stealing?

Other points:

Can you think of any other songs?
Does a descending melody evoke sadness?
Can you think of another melody that evokes sadnes? Does it descend?
How about happiness?
Cn you think of othersongs/compositions that borrow from each other?

Comments

Clay Sheleheda from: North Allegheny - posted: September 24, 2019
I think it is really cool how the same four notes can instantly evoke a feeling in someone. I wonder if there are other examples that evoke different feelings.

Futen Wang from: North Allegheny - posted: September 25, 2019
I think it is interesting how the methods of evoking the same human emtions are universal throughout time and culture.

David Ban from: North Allegheny - posted: September 26, 2019
Each movie and song uses a variation of the dies irae so it's very interesting and creative to see how people change it up. It's not stealing, especially considering there are a lot more siimlar songs that aren't considered "cheating". I personally like the Totentantz song the best, and have been wanting to play it for a while.

Nicholas Palermo from: North Allegheny - posted: September 26, 2019

I think that songs in movies all utilize similar melodies from other songs but all of the composers make it there own. Decending melodies in my opinoin are more likley to evoke sadness put it doesn't always. Dorian mode can also evoke sadness.

Sophia Elliott from: North Allegheny - posted: September 30, 2019
I think the dies ire is not stealing. I believe this is just a creepy melody, just like many songs have the same chord progression. It had been around for decades and is used everywhere, I think it is just a cultural thing more than something people are copying that should be copyrighted.

Nick Faber from: North Allegheny - posted: September 30, 2019
Simply a set of descending notes is not enough to evoke sadness in a listener. It requires creativity and emotion in the piece, especially when that piece is a song. Trending upward helps create a happy atmosphere and vice versa, yet it means little without the artist's personal touch and interpretation

Sari Abu-Hamad from: North Allegheny - posted: October 3, 2019
I think that it is very interesting that the dies irae is such a timeless piece, and can be modified and used in so many different works yet can still maintain its innate quality of creating a menacing and ominous sound.

Rebekah Rest from: North Allegheny - posted: October 8, 2019
I think its interesting that the same four notes of the dies irae are prevalent throughout many songs and several centuries. I don't think it is stealing since it takes more than four notes to create a song and has to be incorporated.

David Chen from: - posted: October 15, 2019
It is truly amazing that notes of a dies irae are present in a large amount of songs.

Zach Brennen from: North Allegheny - posted: October 21, 2019
The fact that notes played in sequence can evoke emotion such as a sadness or unseettling feeling is amazing. It is also interesting that melodies that are descending tend to feel creepy or sad while ascending ones feel joyful and peppy.

Noah Chadran from: North Allegheny - posted: October 21, 2019
I think that its awesome that people use the same descending scale to create an emotion in the audience. It would seem very simple, however, truly explaining why these scales invoke such an emotion within us is inexpliclable.

Reka Gotz from: North Allegheny - posted: October 29, 2019
I think that, as long as the dies irae melody is incorporated creatively enough, and the piece has substance beyond that melody, it is original. It can enhance a song by adding a scary tone, and I believe that you can take it and still make a composition your own. In my opinion, a lot of classical era music uses the same format, so I don't see how this is any different.

Caroline Lucas from: North Allegheny - posted: October 29, 2019
It truly goes to show how much one melody or one pattern of notes can be varied greatly within the context of the song. The pattern is refrenced in numerous songs yet all display their own individuality.

Colin Fitzgerald from: North Allegheny - posted: October 30, 2019

Its is so cool to see that the dies irae has been used for so long in so many different ways.

Gabrielle Parker from: North Allegheny - posted: October 30, 2019
I find it really interesting that dies iraes is present in so many music pieces. In the shining, I find the music to be especially creepy.

Caroline Lucas from: North Allegheny - posted: October 30, 2019
It interesting how one pattern of notes is incorporated in many different pieces over a long span of time yet each piece still encaptures a different feeling with the context around the "creepy melody" pattern.

Julia Maletta from: North Allegheny - posted: October 31, 2019
I think the adaptations of the four notes all add something different to it. I don't think using it in a different way is stealing.

Ella Backauskas from: North Allegheny - posted: November 6, 2019
Ever since this discussion, I keep hearing these 3 notes everywhere and in so many movies. I love how a simple 3 notes can evoke such a feeling in a universal group of people.