"Thanatopsis" (2001), a digital painting by Dillon Ford
"Thanatopsis" (2001), a digital painting by Dillon Ford
"Thanatopsis" is derived from the Greek meaning "view of death." The title was originally suggested by William Cullen Bryant's poem of the same name, although Dillon Ford's work is not a tonal depiction of any specific literary ideas or imagery but a personal philosophical statement. Several brief references to the beginning of the famous "Dies Irae" from the Catholic plainsong Requiem should not give the impression that Thanatopsis has any specific denominational associations: it may be performed both at secular concerts or at any religious or memorial service requiring a solemn music to accompany silent meditation.