Dirge suggests lament, mourning and solemnity. One cannot avoid the sad and often negative connotation that accompanies mention of the word no matter what the context.
A funeral, a period of mourning and other sad occasions are an appropriate time to hear and be aurally enveloped by a dirge.
However, it’s important to remember the positive role that a dirge has on a personal and national mood. Often we are required to leave the joyfulness and levity of a typical day and incorporate a measure of seriousness and sadness in our schedule. No period represents this better than The Three Weeks and, even more so, The Nine Days and Tisha B’Av.
The dirge and the timely nusach and the attention to the kumsitz and slower paced singing, all play a positive role in setting the mood and getting in the mood for a national time of sadness and mourning.
The dirge, and its related methods, plays an important role in turning us from experiencing an average day to paying more attention to the seriousness of a particular day of national sadness. As down a mood that a dirge can create, the fact that it has such a positive role in guiding us to an appropriate atmosphere cannot be overlooked.
