This work is based on the 13th Century Dies irae (Day of Wrath) attributed to Thomas von Celano. Many famous composers have already employed this originally Gregorian chant in their works, including Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Mahler and Lizst. In Jan de Haan’s Song of David - the title of which is taken from the third line of the Dies Irae text - the theme is presented in unison initially and then reappears in various guises.