Music of Death – Gloomy Sunday

At the point of happiness or depression, we surely would like to accompany ourselves with music. Music serves us right in each moment of everyday. As defined in Webster, music is the art of combining sounds or sequences of notes into harmonious patterns pleasing to the ear and satisfying to the emotions. Reading the definition itself, music has the power of influence. It has been playing important roles in history until today – from being an icon of unity to source of entertainment or foundation of pride and honor as it gives distinction to people and countries. Even, music could end a life or hundreds. Gloomy Sunday is a great example.

Let’s get to know this controversial music – its composer, origin and more.

In 1933, a Hungarian named Rezso Seress composed the song “Gloomy Sunday”. Rezso is a pianist and composer who made music to the poem written by Laszlo Javor. “Szomorú vasárnap” is the original title of both the poem and the music. The song tells about the grief of a man about the ill-timed bereavement of a lover. The song describes suicidal contemplation also.

The “Gloomy Sunday” was considered as the “Hungarian suicide song.” The name calling of the song originated in United States on knowing that the composer Rezso Seress himself committed suicide. In 1968, Rezso jumped from his apartment to his death days shortly after he celebrated his 69th birthday. The reason for his suicidal is accurately unsure yet but urban legends said that he was depressed knowing that his song was labeled as a funeral chant among people and blamed for washing out hundred lives during 1930’s specifically in Hungary. Rezso Seress claimed that the song increased his unhappiness knowing that he’ll never be able to write such a hit again.

The song has had many recorded versions of different singers from different countries. To the record, Billie Holiday had scored high in making his own version of the song in 1941 making him the most recognized singer of the song. However, his version was banned by BBC since it has peaked during World War II fearing that this might have affected depressed listeners and eventually increased death rates, especially suicidal.

Billy Mackenzie, a vocalist of the band “The Associates” from Scotland, recorded a cover of Billie Holiday’s version in 1982. Yet, Mackenzie also committed suicide. He was found dead in Dundee, near his father’s house.

Famous recorded versions of the song were written in English. In 1935, Desmond Carter’s cover was used in Paul Robeson recording and a few others. However, the most common was Billie Holiday’s recording. Sam Lewis made its lyrics who added a third verse in this 1941 recording and explaining that the singer has dreamt only about the bereavement of her lover.