As a person who spends most of my time singing, I wanted to begin my search with references to Dante’s Inferno in music. After sifting through a few ‘amateurly’ constructed tracks, I found one that, for all intents and purposes, is well recorded and quite clearly inspired by the poem. This sixteen-and-a-half minute song is titled ‘Dante’s Inferno’ by the metal band Iced Earth (see link above). Though I cannot say this is music I would listen to outside of the realm of this class, the song has very clear references to the Comedy and features musical styles that some might conclude are representative of the emotions throughout the pilgrim’s journey.
The song begins calm and melodically, effecting a dreamlike sensation, as it describes the pilgrim’s initial decent into inferno. The lyrics state things like “Virgil at my side my guide and master” or “Slowly now the days departing / The darkened air releases me” which take direct terms and themes from the text, such as the pilgrim’s relationship with Vergil and the notion of darkness. The latter continues to be reference throughout the entirety of the piece, but it particularly enhances this ‘introduction’ (of sorts) and emphasizes the lack of clarity present in the beginning of the Comedy. However, this segment is also very slow, which significantly contrasts what is about to come (both in the Comedy as well as the song). The most significant piece in this beginning is the line ‘I’m not free’. The notion of choice and freedom is incredibly significant for the pilgrim and his journey through Hell, and this song makes a powerful statement by bluntly illuminating this lack of freedom. It is after this lyric that the song significantly picks up and begins to spiral into confusion.
As the song picks up and the music gets more chaotic, the song makes a direct textual reference to the poem: ‘Abandon all hope who enters here’. This line is repeated twice and is a direct reference to the writing above the gates of Hell. After a few more verses, in which Charon and Minos are referenced, the song takes an erratic instrumental interlude to denote the chaos that the pilgrim initial experiences through the Underworld and the jarring passage to a new world, of sorts. After this interlude, the pace slows again through the third circle of Hell. The song does continue through the circles of Hell to Lucifer, featuring many shifts in style and tempo to accommodate the shifting perspective of the pilgrim as he experiences so many new emotions. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how to analyze anything beyond the third circle as that is as far as we have read; however, I do have a few comments on the significance of such a song overall.
It would only seem natural that a piece as influential as the Divine Comedy would have inspired some musical artists. What is particularly interesting about this particular interpretation is that it does not really make vague allusions to the text; it is fairly upfront about every reference it makes to the text. It is meant to be a retelling of the text, in a sense, which is perfectly in accordance with the tradition of epic poetry: it is meant to be retold. This song features the dynamic range of emotion and lyrics that are similar to those represented within the actual text. It is almost as if the band is functioning as Vergil and taking the listener through their own interpretation of Hell. Though the song itself doesn’t necessarily have the quality of repeat listenability, it is definitely worth a listen to get a feel for the true scope of Dante’s influence.
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