Introduction
In his 1981 article “Prince Henry as Absalom in David’s Lamentations” Irving Godt examined a group of seventeenth-century English settings based on King David’s laments for his son Absalom and his friend Jonathan.1 On the basis of the information available to him, Godt was unable to establish whether there was any historical precedent for these works and treated them as an isolated phenomenon exclusive to England. My recent research demonstrates that there was a group of musical works based on the same topic that predated the English settings. The repertoire of works based on Davidic laments, which began in the ninth century and continues today, spread across temporal, geographic, and religious boundaries in Europe during the sixteenth century.2 For the scope of this article, the examples are limited exclusively to settings of David’s lament for Absalom; however, there were also musical works from the sixteenth century based on David’s lament for Jonathan, and those could also be used to illustrate the points offered in this article. Scholars have generally viewed well-known settings within this repertoire as commemorative of a specific person’s death for whom the setting was composed. Based on my investigation of the text variants used by sixteenth-century composers, I argue that this sacred Latin text transcended its original biblical roots, serving a variety of possible functions.
Sources of Texts
Biblical Texts
The texts of David’s lamentation for Absalom ultimately derive from two biblical passages in the Second Book of Samuel.
Absalom Text #1: 2 Samuel 18:33
| Latin Vulgate | Douay-Rheims Translation |
|
Contristatus itaque rex ascendit cenaculum portae et |
The king therefore being much moved, went up to |
Absalom Text #2: 2 Samuel 19:4
| Latin Vulgate | Douay-Rheims Translation |
|
porro rex operuit caput suum, et clamabat voce magna: |
And the king covered his head, and cried with a loud voice: |
Antiphon Text
The earliest known musical setting of David’s lament, Rex autem David, is found in European medieval antiphonals.4 A list of the known manuscript sources for the antiphon is included in Table 1. The function of this musical setting was liturgical, occurring among the readings of the Old Testament histories that occupy the summer months in the Catholic liturgical year. In addition to providing music, the plainchant antiphon also presents a third text of David’s lament for Absalom.
Absalom Text #3: Rex autem David
Rex autem David cooperto capite
incedens lugebat filium dicens:
Absalon, fili mi, fili mi Absalon,
quis michi det ut ego moriar pro te, fili mi Absalon.
But King David, walking with covered head,
mourned for his son, saying:
Absalon, my son, my son Absalon.
Would it had been given to me that I had died for thee, my son, Absalon.5
The antiphon text appears to be derived from both biblical accounts, because it contains information that is specific to each. For example, the first line of the antiphon text is based on 2 Samuel 19:4, which notes that David covered his head, and the last line of the antiphon text, “would it had been given to me that I had died for thee,” is based on the text from 2 Samuel 18:33.
Table 1: Sources of Rex autem David antiphon6
| Bamberg Antiphoner | Bamberg, Staatliche Bibliothek, Cod. lit. 23 |
|
Compiegne Antiphoner |
Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, MS lat. 17436 |
|
Antipyoner of Saint-Denis |
Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, MS 17296 |
|
Ivrea Antiphoner |
Ivrea, Chapter Library, MS 106 |
|
Antiphoner of Saint-Maur-les-Fosses |
Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, MS lat. 12584 |
|
Antiphoner of Hartker |
Saint-Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek MSS 390 & 391 |
|
Monza Antiphoner |
Monaza, Chapter Library, Cod. c. 12.75 |
|
Rheinau Antiphoner |
Zurich, Zentrabibliothek, MS s.n., formerly Rheinau, Abbey Library MS 28 |
|
Antiphoner of Silos |
London, British Library, MS Add. 30850 |
|
Verona Antiphoner |
Verona, Chapter Library, Cod. XCVIII |
|
Breviary |
Rouen, Bibliogheque Municipale, MS 205 (Y46) |
|
Antiphonaire monastique |
Lucques, Chapter Library, Cod. 601 |
|
Antiphonaire monastique |
Worchester, Cathedral Library, Cod. F. 160 |
|
Antiphonale Sarisburiense |
Cambridge, University Library, MS Mm 2 G |
Musical Settings Based On Antiphon Texts
This survey of Renaissance settings begins with six motets that share the Rex autem David antiphon text. The timeline in Table 2 demonstrates that composers wrote polyphonic settings of the antiphon text throughout the course of the sixteenth century. The motets were written by Catholic composers. However, the anonymous 1506 setting of Rex autem David also appears in the Symphoniae jucundae, a Protestant anthology for home devotional use compiled by Georg Rhau in 1538 in Wittenberg. These six polyphonic motets would not have been used as a substitute for the liturgical plainchant antiphon, Rex autem David. However, since they all use the antiphon text, it is likely that the motets may have served some para-liturgical function. Although these settings all use the text from the antiphon, none of the composers utilized the antiphon melody as a cantus firmus.
Table 2: Sixteenth-Century Motets Based on Rex autem David Antiphon Text
| Date | Title | Composer | Genre | Source(s) |
| c.1506 | Rex autem David7 | Anonymous | 4 vv. motet |
Florence, MS Panciatichi 27 |
|
1521 |
Rex autem David8 |
Mathieu Gascogne |
4 vv. motet | Königsberg MS 1740 Padua A 17 Regensburg, Proske, MS AR 940/41 RISM 1521.5, Venice RISM 1521.6, Rome RISM 1539.11, Lyon RISM 1535. 3, Paris |
| 1549 | Rex autem David9 Pt. 1: Rex autem David Pt. 2: Planxit autem |
Jacobus Clemens non Papa (b. c1510-15, d. 1555/6) |
4 vv. motet | Aachen, Domarchiv, Magnon-Codex Regensburg, Proske, AR 891 RISM 1564.1, Nürnberg |
|
before 1571/2 |
Rex autem David10 |
Bernardo de Ribera |
5 vv. motet | E-Tc 6, Toledo |
| pub. 1574 |
Rex autem David11 |
Jean de Castro |
3 vv. motet | Triciniorum sacrorum, liber units |
| pub. 1596 | Rex autem David12 |
Giovanni de Macque |
6 vv. motet |
Motectorum, 5, 6, 8vv, liber primus |
In addition to spanning much of the sixteenth century, these musical settings extended through several Catholic countries in mainland Europe. The composers of the Rex autem David motets held positions in Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The earliest surviving polyphonic motet based on the antiphon text is an anonymous setting found in the Florentine source Panciatichi MS 27, which Gioia Filocamo dates around 1506.13 The 1521 setting of Rex autem David was composed by Mathieu Gascogne, who worked the Royal Chapel of François I in France.14 Gascogne’s motet was published by Andrea Antico in Rome and can also be found in sources from Königsberg, Padua, Regensburg, Venice, Lyon, and Paris. The next composer to set this text was Jacobus Clemens non Papa, who worked at the cathedral in Bruges, and his motet appears in manuscripts from Aachen, Regensburg, and Nürnberg.15 Bernardino de Ribera spent most of his career at the cathedral in Toledo, which is also the location of the manuscript that contains his motet.16 Jean de Castro worked in Antwerp, Düsseldorf, Cologne, and several unnamed cities in France.17 His motet was published in 1574 in a collection of his sacred works, titled Triciniorum sacrorum liber unus. Finally, Giovanni de Macque worked at churches in Rome and Naples, and his motet was included in the Motectorum, liber primus, which was published in Rome in 1596.18 The 1506 Rex autem David setting contained in the Symphoniae jucundae provides a link outside of the Catholic repertoire and suggests a Protestant affinity for this Latin text.
Musical Settings With Multiple Antiphon Text
Two motets combine the Rex autem David text with Doleo super te, an antiphon text based on King David’s lament for this friend Jonathan, providing a clear musical link between these two similar lament texts. Clemens non Papa’s setting of Rex autem David consists of laments for both Absalom and Jonathan arranged in two separate parts. The union of David’s lamentations was previously found in an anonymous fourteenth-century polytextual motet Doleo super te/Absalon fili mi. Though Clemens non Papa was probably not aware of any medieval precedent, for some reason he chose to connect both of these texts in his motet. Jean de Castro also combined them in his three-voice motet, Rex autem David. Both composers used the same text for the secunda pars of their motets.
Text and Translation of Planxit autem David
Planxit autem David super Jonathan dicens:
Doleo super te, frater mi Jonatha,
amabilis valde super amorem mulierum.
Sicut mater unicum amat filium suum, ita ego te diligebam.
Incliti Israel flete.
Thus David mourned over Jonathan, saying:
I grieve for you, my brother Jonathan;
with a love greater than the love of women,
Like a mother loves her only son, I delighted in you.
Weep for the glory of Israel.19
The first line of the text, “Planxit autem David,” and the last line, “Incliti Israel flete” are both non-liturgical but derive from the biblical account of David’s lament for Jonathan (found in 2 Samuel 1:17 & 19). The Doleo super te text is both a liturgical antiphon text and a biblical scripture (2 Samuel 1:26). These two motets by Clemens non Papa and Castro not only join the Absalom and Jonathan laments, but they also combine two different liturgical antiphon texts with biblical texts (2 Samuel 1:17&19).
Musical Settings Utilizing Biblical Texts
In addition to the six polyphonic motets utilizing the Rex autem David antiphon text, there are also seven musical settings that use other types of texts, notably biblical texts and poetic adaptations based on the scriptural account of David’s lament. Table 3 provides a timeline of the musical settings that are based on biblical texts or poetic adaptations. Since these polyphonic settings do not use texts from monophonic liturgical music, there are two possibilities for their function. They may have been used in church services in addition to the liturgical readings from the second book of Samuel, which occurred at Matins on the Saturday before the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost.20 It is also possible that these settings could have been used for non-liturgical purposes.
Table 3: Other Sixteenth-Century Musical Settings Based on David’s Lament for Absalom
| Date | Title | Composer | Genre | Source(s) |
| before c1513 | Absalon, fili mi21 |
Josquin des Prez? OR Pierre de la Rue? |
4 vv. motet |
London, Brit. Lib., MS Royal 8 G VII |
|
pub. 1538 |
Absalon, fili mi22 |
Anonymous |
4 vv. motet | Symphoniae Jucundae |
| pub. 1546 | Triste estaba el rey David23 | Alonso Mudarra (b. 1510, d. 1580) |
solo voice and vihuela | Tres libros de musica en cifras para vihuela |
|
1559 |
Doleo super te Absalon24 |
Benedictus Appenzeller |
4 vv. motet | RISM 1559.2, Nürnberg RISM 1540.7, Augsburg25 |
| pub. 1564 |
Lugebat David Absalon26 |
Josquin des Prez? OR Nicholas Gombert? |
8 vv. motet | RISM 1564.1, Nürnberg London, Brit. Lib., Royal Appendix 49-54 RISM 1552.35 Verona, Accademia Filarmonica, MS 218 |
| c1580 | Cum audisset David rex27 |
Rodrigo de Ceballos |
4 vv. motet |
Granada. Capilla Real, MS 3 |
| pub. 1587 | Planxit David rex Absalon28 |
Jacobus Gallus |
8 vv. motet |
Opus musicum III |
The well-known motet Absalon, fili mi (c. 1513), which was attributed in one source to Josquin des Prez and has been ascribed by modern scholars to Pierre de la Rue, conflates portions from three different biblical texts.29
Text and Transaltion of Absalon, fili mi
| Absalon, fili mi, fili mi, Absalon, quis det ut moriar pro te, fili mi Absalon, Non vivam ultra, sed descendam infernum plorans. |
Absalon, my son, my son, Absalon, would that I could die for you, my son, Absalon, Let me live no longer, but descend into hell, weeping.30 |
The initial text of the motet is a portion of David’s lament taken from 2 Samuel 18:33.
contristatus itaque rex ascendit cenaculum portae et flevit et sic loquebatur vadens: fili mi Absalom fili mi Absalom quis mihi tribuat ut ego moriar pro te Absalom fili mi fili mi31
The king therefore being much moved, went up to the high chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went he spoke in this manner: My son Absalom, Absalom my son: would to God that I might die for thee, Absalom my son, my son Absalom.32
Next, the composer adds the text “non vivam ultra” (“let me live no longer”), taken from Job’s lament in Job 7:16.
desperavi nequaquam ultra iam vivam
parce mihi nihil enim sunt dies mei
I have done with hope, I shall now live no longer:
spare me, for my days are nothing.
Finally, the phrase “sed descendam infernum plorans” (“but descend into hell, weeping”), is from Jacob’s lament for his son Joseph in Genesis 37:35.
congregatis autem cunctis liberis eius ut lenirent dolorem patris noluit consolationem recipere et ait descendam ad filium meum lugens in infernum et illo perseverante in fletu
And all his children being gathered together to comfort their father in his sorrow,
he would not receive comfort, but said: I will go down to my son into hell, mourning and whilst he continued weeping.
The three different biblical accounts all share a common theme of fathers lamenting. The excerpts from Job and Genesis that have been appended to the Absalom text intensify the human drama of David’s lament for his son.
The text of Doleo super te Absalon (1559) by Benedictus Appenzeller represents an amalgamation of the Absalom and Jonathan texts, again reinforcing a musical connection between David’s two similar laments. However, this piece also calls attention to the individual character of David’s two laments.
Text and Translation of Doleo super te Absalon
Doleo super te, Absalon, fili mi,
amabilis super amorem mulierum.
Sicut mater unicum amat filium, ita te diligebam
I grieve for you, Absalon, my son,
with a love greater than the love of women.
Like a mother loves her only son, I delighted in you.33
The composer used the Doleo super te text (2 Samuel 1:26) as a starting point, inserting “Absalon, fili mi” in place of “frater mi Jonatha.” Since the name is changed, David is now lamenting for his son Absalom. The lines of text that follow could possibly work as part of a father’s lament for his son. However, the phrase “amabilis super amorem mulierum” (“with a love greater than the love of women”) is a distinctive and integral part of David’s expression of love for his best friend in his lament for Jonathan. Thus, even though the name has been changed in the first line from Jonathan to Absalom, the remaining text certainly carries the character of its original context as a lament for his best friend.
Lugebat David Absalon (pub. 1564), attributed to Josquin and Gombert, unites a poetic description of David’s lament with both biblical texts and the antiphon text of David’s lament for Absalom.
Text and Translation of Lugebat David Absalon
| Prima Pars: | [source] | First Part: |
| 1. Lugebat David Absalon, pius pater filium, tristis senex puerum: | [poetic description] | 1. David mourned for Absalom, the loving father for his son, the old man for a youth: |
| 2. “Heu me, fili mi Absalon, heu me, fili mi Absalon, | 2. “Alas, my son Absalom, Alas my son Absalom, | |
| 3. quis mihi det ut ego pro te moriar, | [2 Samuel 18:33] | 3. would that I could die for you, |
| 4. O fili mi, fili mi Absalon? | 4. O my son, my son, Absalom? | |
| 5. Rex autem David filium dixit cooperto flebat capite: | [antiphon text] | 5. King David wept for his son with covered head, |
| 6. “Quis mihi det ut ego moriar pro te, O fili mi?” | 6. “Would that I could die for you, o my son!” | |
| Secunda Pars: | Second Part: | |
| 7. Porro Rex operuit caput suum, et clamabat voce magna: | [2 Samuel 19:4] | 7. Later, the king covered his head and cried with a loud voice: |
| 8. “O fili mi Absalon.” | 8. “O my son Absalom.”34 |
The prima pars begins with a poetic introduction in lines 1 & 2, describing David’s lament for his son. This is followed in lines 3 and 4 by a text based on 2 Samuel 18:33 and then the complete Rex autem David antiphon text in lines 5 and 6. Finally, the text for the secunda pars in lines 7 and 8 is taken exactly from 2 Samuel 19:4.
Poetic Adaptions
Two Latin motets and one Spanish song utilize poetic adaptations of the story of David’s lament. The entire text of Cum audisset autem David rex (c 1580), by Spanish composer Rodrigo de Ceballos, is a poetic interpretation of David’s lament.
Text and Translation of Cum audisset autem David rex
Cum audisset autem David rex, filium occissum, valde contristatus est;
Et cooperto capite, lacrimas fundebat et gemebat dicens:
“Absalom, fili mi, quis te perdit et occidit?”
However, when David the King had heard that his son was slain, he was very moved;
And covering his head, he poured forth tears and groaned, saying:
“Absalom, my son, why are you lost/destroyed and slain?”35
This poetic rendering of David’s lament retains much of the original literary character of the scriptural account. For example, the text contains certain words specific to the biblical source and antiphon text; the term “contristatus” is only found in 2 Samuel 18:33, and the phrase “cooperto capite” comes from the Rex autem David antiphon text.
The Slovenian composer Jacobus Gallus composed a motet for double choir titled Planxit David Rex Absalon that uses a poetic rendering of the Absalom text. This work was included in Gallus’s collection of motets for the liturgical year titled Opus musicum, in the section for the season after Pentecost and prior to advent, suggesting a liturgical function.
Text and Translation of Planxit David rex Absalon
| Prima pars: | First part: |
|
Planxit David rex Absalon natum suum: |
King David mourned for his son Absalon: |
| Secunda pars: | Second part: |
|
Diadema, sceptrum, regium nomen vale; |
Diadem, scepter, royal name, farewell; |
The song Triste estava el rey David by Alonso Mudarra was published in 1546 as a set of three romances. The other songs in this set were based on biblical texts, one being David’s lament for Jonathan from Second Samuel, the other, the story of Jesus quieting the tempest in Matthew 8: 23-27. Mudarra’s setting of the Absalom text also presents a completely poetic interpretation of David’s lament for Absalom.
Text and Translation of Triste estava el Rey David37
|
Triste estava el rey David; |
King David was sad; |
| Ellos mismos fueron causa De tu muerte y mi passión. No te quisiera ver muerto, Sino vivo en mi prisión, Que aunque me eras desobediente Yo te otorgara perdón. Fili mi. |
They themselves were the cause Of your death and my passion; I would not like to see you dead. But alive in my prison, Even though you disobeyed me, I granted you forgiveness. My son. |
This song differs from the other musical settings in two ways—the use of a vernacular text and a secular genre. This is the first musical setting of David’s lament written in a vernacular language. However, during the later sixteenth century, Spanish composers such as Bernardino de Ribera and Rodrigo de Ceballos continued to follow the trend of setting the Latin texts. The next vernacular settings of David’s lamentations are the early seventeenth-century British anthems utilizing the text When David Heard. Also, this Spanish song is not a polyphonic motet, but rather is scored for solo voice and vihuela, which along with the vernacular language connotes a more secular function for the piece.
Puposes For The Non-Liturgical Settings
Since the polyphonic settings based on biblical and poetic texts could have been composed for non-liturgical purposes, scholars have speculated—based on circumstantial evidence – as to the reason why certain well-known settings were composed. For example, Jeremy Noble has posited that Absalon fili mi was written either by La Rue for the death of Philip the Fair in 1506 or by Josquin for the death of Giovanni Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, in 1497.38 Both of these events fit the biographical information known about the respective composers and also the timeline for the work, since we know that it was copied in 1513. However, these suggestions are problematic, because there is no actual evidence that links this musical work (or any of the other sixteenth-century settings) to the death of a prominent historical figure’s son. While this is certainly one option, the presence of such a variety of texts and different functions among the fourteen musical works suggests that there could also be other reasons why these pieces were composed. For example, these compositions could have been written to lament the death of any patron’s son or they may not have been written to commemorate a specific death at all. A more pragmatic explanation is also probable; a sixteenth-century composer could have come across the passages about David’s lamentation while reading in the second book of Samuel and simply chosen to set that text to music. Based on Zarlino’s writings in Le istitutione harmoniche, a modern perception of Renaissance musical aesthetics includes the idea that the music was influenced by the text and should express the meaning of the words. Therefore, in setting the text a Renaissance composer would have chosen music that would underscore the meaning of David’s affective lament.
Conclusion
Throughout the sixteenth century composers across Europe, who may not have known one another’s works, chose to set a variety of texts depicting the same biblical story, David’s lament for Absalom, thus establishing a musical repertoire. The sources for these motet texts ranged from antiphon texts, suggesting a potential para-liturgical function, to biblical scriptures and poetic interpretations, suggesting either a possible sacred connection or some secular purpose for the composition of the pieces. Since many different Renaissance composers were using the Absalom text in their compositions, it naturally raises questions as to why they did so. While I acknowledge that some of these settings may have been written to commemorate the death of someone’s son, as previous scholars have suggested, the different texts used by composers suggest a variety of possible functions for these musical works within liturgical, non-liturgical, and secular contexts. Therefore, I would argue that it is not necessary to contrive connections between any given piece in this repertoire and a specific historical event in order to understand how the Absalom settings may have functioned in Renaissance society. Instead, as the texts and music of these works demonstrate, there are a variety of possibilities that may have brought them into existence.
References
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Davidovsky, Mario. Romancero. New York: C.F. Peters, 1995.
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Godt, Irving. “Prince Henry as Absalom in David’s Lamentations.” Music & Letters 62, no. 3/4 (July-October 1981): 318-30.
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APPENDIX: TIMELINE OF DAVID’S LAMENTATIONS—9th-21st CENTURIES
Table A.1: Musical Settings from Ninth-Sixteenth centuries
| Date | Title | Composer | Genre | Source(s) |
| 9th century39 | Rex autem David | Anonymous |
plainchant antiphon |
Paris, Bibl. Nat., MS lat. 17436 (earliest source) |
| 11th century | Montes Gelboe nec ros | Anonymous |
plainchant antiphon |
Ivrea, Chapter Lib., MS 106 Monza, Chapter Lib., Cod. c. 12.75 (earliest sources) |
| 11th century | Saul et Jonathas amabiles | Anonymous |
plainchant antiphon |
Ivrea, Chapter Lib., MS 106 Monza, Chapter Lib., Cod. c. 12.75 (earliest sources) |
| 11th century | Doleo super te | Anonymous |
plainchant antiphon |
Ivrea, Chapter Lib., MS 106 Monza, Chapter Lib., Cod. c. 12.75 (earliest sources) |
| after c1130 | Planctus David super Saul et Ionatha; Pt. I: Dolorum solatium Pt. II: Amalech involuit Pt. III: Saul regum fortissime Pt. IV: Ve, ve, tibi madida Pt. V: Heu cur consilio Pt. VI: Do quietem fidibus |
Peter Abelard (b. 1079, d. 1142) |
monophonic planctus |
Vatican City, Bib. Apost., Cod. Regin lat 288 Oxford, Univ. Lib., MS Bodl. 79 Paris, Bib. Nat., MS NAL 3126 |
| 14th century | Doleo super te/ Absalon fili mi | Anonymous |
Polytextual motet |
Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College, MS 512/543 |
| before 1492? | Triste esta el rey David | Anonymous |
Traditional Sephardic song |
? |
|
pub. 1506 |
Rex autem David, | Anonymous | 4 vv. motet | Florence, MS Panciatichi 27 Basel, Universität, MS FX 5-9 Regensburg, Proske, MA AR 940-41 Regensburg, Ebenda MS B220-222 München, Universität MS 36 Symphoniae Jucundae |
| before c1513 | Absalom, fili mi |
Josquin des Prez? OR Pierre de la Rue? |
4 vv. motet |
London, Brit. Lib., MS Royal 8 G VII |
| before c1513 |
Consideraa Israel; |
Pierre de la Rue |
4 vv. motet |
Florence, Bib. Natl., MS II.I.232 |
| before 1521 | Planxit autem David; Pt. 1: Planxit autem David Pt. 2: Montes Gelboe Pt. 3: Sagitta Jonathae Pt. 4: Doleo super te |
Josquin des Prez (b. 1450/55, d. 1521) |
4 vv. motet | Florence, Bib. Natl., MS II.I.232 |
| 1521 | Rex autem David | Mathieu Gascogne (fl. 1517-1518) |
4 vv. motet |
Königsberg MS 1740 |
| 1527 | Klingender Ton | Hans Sachs (1494-1576) |
monophonic Meisterton | Göttingen, Niedersächsischen Staats- und Universitätsbib., 4 Mus. V, 3050 |
| pub. 1538 | Absalon, fili mi | Anonymous | 4 vv. motet | Symphoniae Juncundae |
| pub. 1546 | Triste estaba el rey David | Alonso Mudarra (b. 1510, d. 1580) |
solo voice and vihuela | Tres libros de musica en cifras para vihuela |
| pub. 1546 | Israel, mira tua montes | Alonso Mudarra (b. 1510, d. 1580) |
solo voice and vihuela | Tres libros de musica en cifras para vihuela |
| 1549 | Rex autem David; Pt. 1: Rex autem David Pt. 2: Planxit autem |
Jacobus Clemns non Papa |
4 vv. motet |
Aachen, Domarchiv, Magnon-Codex |
| before 1553 | Doleo super te | Matheo Flecha (b. 1481?, d.1553?) |
motet | lost |
| before 1571 | Rex autem David | Bernardino de Ribera (b. 1520, d. 1571/2) |
5 vv. motet | Toledo, Cath. Lib., MS Mus 6 |
| pub. 1574 | Rex autem David; Pt. 1: Rex autem David Pt. 2: Planxit autem |
Jean de Castro (b. 1540?, d. 1600?) |
3 vv. motet | Triciniorum sacrorum, liber unus |
| c1580 | Cum audisset David rex | Rodrigo de Ceballos (b. 1525/50, d. 1581) |
4 vv. motet | Granada, Capilla Real, MS 3 Toledo, Cath.Lib., MS Mus B 7 |
| pub. 1587 | Planxit David rex Absalon | Jacobus Gallus (b. 1550, d. 1591) |
8 vv. motet | Opus musicum III |
| pub. 1596 | Rex autem David | Giovanni de Macque (b. 1548-50, d. 1614) |
6 vv. motet incomplete—only five parts survive |
Motectorum, 5, 6, 8vv, liber primus |
Table A.2: Seventeenth-century English settings40
| Date | Title | Composer | Genre | Source(s) |
| before 1616 | When David Heard; Pt. 1: When David Heard Pt. 2: O My Son |
Thomas Weelkes (b. c1576, d. 1623) |
6 vv. anthem | London, Brit. Lib., MS 29366-68 London, Brit. Lib., MS 29372-77 London, Brit. Lib., MS 29427 Oxford, Bodleian, MS 807-11 Oxford, Bodleian, MS 1162-7 Oxford, Bodleian, MS 389 Oxford, Christ Church, 56-60 NY pub. Lib., Drexel MS 4302 Washington D.C, Folger Lib., MS V.a.412 San Marino, CA, Huntington Lib. MS HM 461 |
| before 1616 | O Jonathan | Thomas Weelkes (b. c1576, d. 1623) |
6 vv. anthem | London, Brit. Lib., MS 29366-68 London, Brit. Lib., MS 29372-77 London, Brit. Lib., MS 29427 San Marino, CA, Huntington Lib., MS EL 25 A 46-51 Oxford, Bodleian, MS 1162-67 Washington D.C., Folger Lib., MS V.a.412 |
| before 1616 | And the King Was Moved | Richard Dering (b. c1580, d. 1630) |
5 vv. anthem | London, Brit. Lib., MS 29372-77 London, Brit. Lib., MS 29427 York, Minster, MS M 29 Brussels MS II.4109 Washington D.C, Folger Lib., MS V.a.412 |
| before 1616 | When David Heard that Absalom | John Milton, Sr. (b. c1563, d. 1647) |
5 vv. anthem | London, Brit. Lib., MS 29372-77 London, Brit. Lib., MS 29427 |
| before 1616 | O woe is me for thee | John Milton, Sr. (b. c1563, d. 1647) |
5 vv. anthem | London, Brit. Lib., MS 29372-77 London, Brit. Lib., MS 29427 |
| before 1616 | When David Heard that Absalom | Robert Ramsey (d. 1644) |
6 vv. anthem | London, Brit. Lib., MS 29427 Oxford, Bodleian MS 1162-7 |
| before 1616 | O my Son Absalom; Pt. 1: O my son Absalom Pt. 2: Saul and Jonathan |
Giles Farnaby (b. c1563, d. 1640) |
5 vv. anthem; incomplete—alto part only |
London, Brit. Lib., MS 29427 |
| before 1616 | When David Heard that Absalom | William Bearsley | 5 vv. anthem; incomplete—no quintus |
London, Brit. Lib., MS 29427 London, Brit., Lib. MS 29366-8 Oxford, Bodleian, MS f. 20-24 |
| pub. 1617 | Contristatus est Rex David | Richard Dering (b. c1580, d. 1630) |
5 vv. motet | Oxford, Christ Church, MS 881-86, Cantiones Sacrae |
| pub. 1618 | When David Heard that Absalom | Michael East (b. c1580, d. 1648) |
6 vv. anthem | Fourth Set of Bookes |
| c1618, pub. 1622 | When David Heard that Absalom | Thomas Tomkins (b. 1572, d. 1656) |
5 vv. anthem | London Brit. Lib., MS 29372-77 NY Pub Lib., Drexel MS 4180-85 Songs of 3. 4. 5. & 6. Parts Musica Deo sacra |
| c1620 | O my son Absolon | Anon. 321; also attributed to Weelkes (doubtful) |
4 vv. anthem | London, Brit. Lib., R.M. 23.1.4 Oxford, Bodleian, MS f. 17-19 Washington D.C, Folger, MS V.a.412 |
| c1622 | When David Heard | “Mr. Smith” Elias Smith? |
5 vv. anthem | New York Public Lib., Drexel MS 4180-855 |
| early 17th century | When David Heard that Jonathan | William Bearsley | 5 vv. anthem; incomplete | London, Brit. Lib., MS 29366-68 |
| before 1625 | O Jonathan, how wert thou slain | Anon. 276 | anthem; incomplete—tenor part only |
Washington D.C., Folger Lib., MS V.a.412 |
| before 1641 | O Jonathan, thou wast slain Pt 1: O Jonathan thou wert slain Pt. 2: How are the mighty fallen |
Anon. 167 | anthem, incomplete | Litchfield, Cathedral Lub., manuscript additions in John Barnard, The First Book of Selected Church Musick |
| before 1641 | O Jonathan, thou wast slain Pt. 1: O Jonathan, thou wast slain Pt. 2: How are the Mighty Fallen Pt. 3: Ye daughters of Israel |
Anon. 277 | anthem, incomplete | Litchfield, Cathedral Lib., additions to Barnard partbooks |
| before 1644 | How are the Mighty Fall’n | Robert Ramsey (d. 1644) |
6 vv. anthem | Glasgow, Euing Lib. MS R.d.91 |
| pub. 1652 | O Absolon, my Son | Henry Lawes (b. 1596, d. 1662) |
3 vv. canon | Catch that Catch Can, London: John Hilton, 1652. |
| c1650s | When David heard that Absalom | Anon. 410 | anthem; incomplete—bass part only |
San Marino, CA, Huntington, Lib. MS HM 461 |
| pub. 1668 | Then David Mourned | Thomas Tomkins (b. 1572, d. 1656) |
5 vv. anthem | Musica Deo sacra Deo, London, 1668 |
| c. 1670s | How Are the Mighty Fallen | Michael Wise (b. 1647, d. 1687) |
3 vv. anthem | London, Brit. Lib., MS 17784 Oxford, Christ Church MS 1246 |
| c. 1670-85 | When David Heard | Anon. 411 | 3 vv. anthem | London, Brit. Lib., MS 33235 Oxford, Christ Church MS623-25 |
| c. 1690 | Thy Beauty, O Israel | Henry Aldrich (b. 1648, d. 1710) |
arrangement of Wise’s anthem; 4 vv. & continuo |
Oxford, Christ Church, MSS Mus. 12, 16, & 614 |
| late 1600s | O Absalom, my son | Anon. 253 | 6 vv. anthem; incomplete | London, Brit. Lib., manuscript insertions in John Barnard, The First Book of Selected Church Musick |
| late 1600’s | The Beauty of Israel is slain | John Walter (b. c1660, d. 1708) |
anthem | London, Brit. Lib. MS 22100; the piece is only mentioned in index, no music. |
Table A.3: Musical Settings, 17th-21st centuries
| Date | Title | Composer | Genre/Instrumentation | Source(s)/Comments |
| pub.1602 | “Fili mi, Absalon” | Lodovico Viadana (b. 1560, d. 1627) |
2 mezzo-sopranos, baritone, & organ | Cento Concerti Ecclesiastici |
| pub. 1602 | “Doleo Super te” | Lodovico Viadana (b. 1560, d. 1627) |
2 basses & organ | Cento Concerti Ecclesiastici |
| 1629 | “Fili mi, Absalon” | Schütz, Heinrich (b. 1585, d. 1672) |
Bass, 4 trombones, continuo | Symphoniae Sacrae |
| pub. 1655 | Lagrime di Davide sparse nel miserere | Biagio Marini (b. 1594, d. 1663) |
2-4 vv, 2 vlns, organ | ? |
| before 1674 | Historia Davidis et Jonathae | Giacomo Carissimi (?) (b. 1605, d. 1674 |
SSATB, 2 vlns, & basso continuo | Paris, Natl. Lib., MSS Vm1 1473 (Brossard) |
| 1674 | Assalone punito | Pietro Andrea Ziani (b. 1616, d. 1684) |
oratorio | Vienna, Natl. Lib. |
| before 1678 | Assalone | Paolo Petti (d. 1678) |
oratorio; 5 vv. & instr. | Paris, Conservatory Lib. |
| 1681 | Doleo super te | Henry Du Mont (b. 1610, d. 1684) |
petit motet; Ct, T, B, continuo | Motets a II. III. et IV. parties |
| early 1680’s | Mors Saulis et Jonathae | Marc-Antoine Charpentier (b. 1643, d. 1704) |
oratorio | Paris, Natl. Lib., MS Rés Vm 259, iv |
| 1686 | Absalone (L’Assalone) | Giovanni Paolo Colonna (b. 1637, d. 1695) |
oratorio | Vienna, Natl. Lib. Paris, Conservatory Lib. |
| 1688 | David et Jonathas | Marc-Antoine Charpentier (b. 1643, d. 1704) |
tragédie mise en musique; (incomplete) |
Paris, Natl. Lib., MS Rés F924 |
| before c. 1690 | Geistliche Konzerte aus dem Evangelien-Jahrgang: 57. “Mein Sohn, woll’t Gott, ich müßte vor dir sterben” |
Augustin Pfleger (b. c1635, d. c1690) |
2 sopranos, 1 bass, 3 violas, & continuo |
Universitätsbibliothek Upsala |
| 1691 | L’Absalone ribello | Flavio Lanciani (b. 1661, d. 1706) |
oratorio | lost |
| before 1700? | La cetra piangente de Davide nella morte de Gionata | Giuseppe Pacieri (d. 1700 or later) |
oratorio | Naples, Bib. Oratoriana dei Filippini |
| 1704 | Assalon punito | Antonio Veracini (b. 1659-1733) |
oratorio | ? |
| 1705 | La superbia punita in Absalone | Giuseppe Valentini (b. 1681, d. 1753) |
drama sacro | lost |
| 1715 | La ribellione d’Assalonne | Antonio Caldara (b. 1671, d. 1736) |
oratorio | Münster, Santini Bib. |
| 1720 | Assalonne | Antonio Caldara (b. 1671, d. 1736) |
oratorio | Vienna, Natl. Lib., MS HS 17058 |
| 1721 | Davide | Francesco Pistocchi (b. 1659, d. 1726) |
oratorio | lost |
| 1724 | David | Francesco Conti (b. 1681/2, d. 1732) |
oratorio | Vienna, Natl. Lib. |
| 1726 | Assalone nemico del padre amante | Giuseppe Porsile (b. 1680, d. 1750) |
oratorio | Vienna, Natl. Lib. Vienna, Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Wgm) |
| 1728 | Gionata | Antonio Caldara (b. 1671, d. 1736) |
oratorio | Vienna, Gesellschaft (Wgm) Vienna, Natl. Lib. |
| 1733 | Gionata | Pietro Torri (b. 1650, d. 1737) |
oratorio | ? |
|
1736 |
David’s Lamentation Over Saul and Jonathan | William Boyce (b. 1711, d. 1779) |
sacred cantata; 4 vv, & orch |
Oxford, Bodleian Lib. London, Royal College of Music |
| pub. 1738 | The Beauty of Israel is slain | William Knapp (b. 1698/99, d. 1768) |
4 vv. anthem | A Sett of New Psalm-tunes and Anthems, Knapp Sixteen Anthems, by Josiah Flagg |
| 1738-39 | Saul, Act 3 Scene V: “Elegy for Saul and Jonathan” |
George F. Handel (b. 1685, d. 1759) |
oratorio | oratorio |
| 1739 | Assalonne | Antonio Pampani (b. 1705, d. 1775) |
oratorio | ? |
| 1739 | L’obbedienza di Gionata | Antonio Pampani (b. 1705, d. 1775) |
oratorio | Munich, Bayerische Staatsbib. |
| 1738-40 |
David’s Lamentation Over Saul and Jonathan | John Christopher Smith (b. 1712, d. 1795) |
oratorio | lost |
| 1743 |
Der so true als heyllos wider seinen sanfftmüthigen Vatter David rebellierende Sohn Absolon | Gregor Joseph Werner (b. 1693, d. 1766) |
oratorio | Budapest, Natl. Lib. |
| 1745 |
Davide e Gionata | Jean-Noël Hamal (b. 1709, d. 1778) |
oratorio | Liege, Bib. Conserv. Royal de musique |
| 1747 | Jonathas | Andrea Bernasconi (b. 1706, d. 1784) |
drama sacrum | ? |
| 1751 | David | Andrea Bernasconi (b. 1706, d. 1784) |
drama sacrum | ? |
| 1751 | Davide | Gennaro Manna (b. 1715, d. 1779) |
oratorio | Naples, Bib. Oratoriana dei Filippini |
| 1752 | Gionata figliuol di Saule | Lorenzo Gibelli (b. 1718, d. 1812) |
oratorio | music lost, libretto extant |
| 1756 | L’obbedienza di Gionata | Ferdinando Bertoni (b. 1725, d. 1813) |
oratorio | Darmstadt, Hessische Bib. Venice, Bib. Nat. Pavia, S. Michele |
| 1761 | Absalon | Adolph Carl Kunzen (b. 1720, d. 1781) |
oratorio | Lübeck, Bib. Hansestadt |
| 1761 | David and Jonathan | Charles Barbandt (d. c1775) |
oratorio | lost |
| pub. 1763 | O Absalom, my son | Charles King (b. 1687, d. 1748) |
3 vv. canon | A Collection of Canons, Catches, and Glees |
| pub. 1765 | The Beauty of Israel |
Anonymous |
4 vv. anthem | An Introduction to Singing, by James Hewitt |
| 1766 | David und Jonathan | Johann Heinrich Rolle (b. 1716, d. 1785) |
musikalisches Eligie | pub. 1773, Leipzig |
| before 1769 | Gionata | Giovanni Pescetti (b. 1704, d. 1766) |
oratorio | Padova, Capella Antoniana |
| 1771 | Jonathas | Ferdinando Bertoni (b. 1725, d. 1813) |
oratorio; solo voice & female choir |
? |
| 1771 | Davide e Gionathan | Carl von Dittersdorf (b. 1739, d. 1799) |
oratorio | DK-Kk |
| 1774 | David und Jonathas | Johann Demmler (b. 1748, d. 1785) |
cantata | music lost, text in Augsburg, Staatsbibl. |
| c. 1774 |
Saul et Gionata |
Leonardo Leo |
oratorio | lost |
| 1775 | Interitus Absalon | Ferdinando Bertoni (b. 1725, d. 1813) |
oratorio; solo voices & female chorus |
? |
| pub. 1778 | The Beauty of Israel is Slain | John Arnold (b. 1715, d. 1792) |
4 vv. anthem | Select Harmony, by Andrew Law |
| pub. 1778 | David’s Lamentation | William Billings (b. 1746, d. 1800) |
4 vv. anthem | The Singing Master’s Assistant, Boston |
| 1779 | Victoria militum David contra Absalon filium Regis | Ferdinando Bertoni (b. 1725, d. 1813) |
oratorio; solo voices & female chorus | ? |
| 1780 | Per la morte di Gionata e di Saulle | Gian Francesco de Majo (b. 1732, d. 1770) |
oratorio | ? |
| 1781 |
Jonathas | Bonaventura Furlanetto (b. 1738, d. 1817) |
oratorio | Venice, Bibl. del Cons. |
| 1781 | The Beauty of Israel | William Billings (b. 1746, d. 1800) |
4 vv. anthem | Psalm Singer’s Amusement |
| 1782 | Absalon | Domenico Cimarosa (b. 1749, d. 1801) |
“action sacra” (oratorio) | Dresden, Sächsiche Bib. Münster, Santini Bib. Paris, Natl. Lib. London, British Lib. Naples, Conserv. Lib. Rome, Archivio Filippini |
| 1785 | Absalonis rebellio | Bonaventura Furlanetto (b. 1738, d. 1817) |
oratorio | Venice, Bibl. del Cons. |
| 1786 | Absalon (La mort d’Absalon) | Henri-Montan Berton (b. 1767, d. 1844) |
cantata | ? |
| 1787 | Davide | Angelo DeAngelis (d. c1825) |
oratorio | Podova, Bib. capitolare |
| 1789 | O Absolom | William Savage (b. 1720, d. 1789) |
catch | Glasgow, Euing Mus. Lib. |
| 1789 | Assalone | Angelo Baldan (b. 1753, d. 1803) |
oratorio | Venice, Bibl. del Cons. Venice, Bib. Naz. Marciana Naples, Conserv. Lib. |
| 1792 | Gionata | Niccolò Piccinni (b. 1728, d. 1800) |
oratorio | Florence, Conserv. Lib. Naples, Conserv. Lib. |
| 1793 | Davids Klage am Hermon |
Johann Königslöw (b. 1745, d. 1833) |
oratorio | Lübeck, Bib. Hansestadt undated, |
| before 1797 |
Doleo super te |
Juan Manuel Olivares (b. 1760, d. 1797) |
2 vv. motet |
? |
| 1797 | Davide e Assalonne |
Antonio Brunetti (b? 1767, d? after 1845) |
oratorio | Urbino, Cappella del Sacramento undated, |
| before 1798 | The Beauty of Israel is slain |
Robert Shenton (b. 1730, d. 1798) |
anthem | ? |
| 1800 | Saul und David im Kriege |
Johann Königslöw (b. 1745, d. 1833) |
oratorio | lost |
| 1819 | Assalonne | Domenico Cimarosa (b. 1749, d. 1801) |
oratorio | Brussells, Bib. Conserv. Royal de musique |
| 1830 | David, op. 34 |
Bernhard Klein (b. 1793, d. 1832) |
oratorio | ? |
| 1831 | Absalon | Friedrich Schneider (b. 1756, d. 1853) |
oratorio | ? |
| 1834 | David | Sigismund Neukomm (b. 1778, d. 1858) |
oratorio | Paris, Natl. Lib. Undated, |
| before 1840 |
The Lamentation | Edward James Loder (b. 1813, d. 1865) |
sacred song |
Sacred Songs and Ballads |
| 1842 | Assalomne |
Gaetano Capocci (b. 1811, d. 1898) |
oratorio | ? |
| 1844 | Absalom |
Geo. H. Curtis | scena religiosa | Washington, D.C., Lib. of Congress |
| 1848 | David’s Lament for Absalom |
L. H. Southard |
sacred song |
Washington, D.C., Lib. of Congress |
| 1849 |
Absalom | Isaac Baker Woodbury (b. 1819, d. 1858) | oratorio | Washington, D.C., Lib. of Congress The Dulcimer |
| pub. 1850 | David |
Charles Horsley (b. 1822, d. 1876) |
oratorio | |
| 1852 | Oratorio of Absalom | George Nelson Allen (b. 1812, d. 1877) |
||
| 1856 | David | Georges Bizet (b. 1838, d. 1875) |
cantata | lost |
| before 1859 | David | Carl Reissiger (b. 1798, d. 1859) |
oratorio | |
| 1865 | O Absalom, my son! |
Dudley M. Taylor | sacred song, voice & piano | “Dedicated by permission to J. C. Baron Lethbridge” |
| 1875 | Absalon | Achille D. Campisiano |
opérette bouffe |
|
| 1884 | King David’s Lament | Francis W. Swift |
voice & piano |
|
| 1888 | David | E. C. Essex |
oratorio |
|
| 1891 | David and Saul | David Jenkins (b. 1848, d. 1915) |
oratorio | |
| 1896 | Absalom | Johann Stehle (b. 1839, d. 1915) |
chorus and orchestra |
|
| 1901 | Saul and David | Carl Nielsen (b. 1865, d. 1931) |
opera | |
| 1902 | David’s Lament, Op. 15 | Angelo Read (b. 1854, d. 1926) |
cantata | |
| 1911 | David’s Lament from Two Bible Lyrics, op. 29 | Blair Fairchild (b. 1877, d. 1933) |
soprano & alto soli, chorus, & orchestra | “To Gabriel Dupont” |
| 1919 | David und Absalom, op.70 | Georg Schumann (b. 1866, d. 1952) |
soli and orchestra |
|
|
1921, |
Lamentations de Guilboa from Le roi David |
Arthur Honegger (b. 1892, d. 1955) |
oratorio | |
| 1921 (rev. 1923) |
La chanson d’Ephraim from Le roi David | Arthur Honegger (b. 1892, d. 1955) |
oratorio | |
| 1922 | Absalom | Joseph Lincoln Hall (b. 1866, d. 1930) |
dramatic cantata | |
| 1925 | O Absalom, my son | F. Melius Christiansen (b. 1871, d. 1955) |
SATB chorus | “for my friend Stanley R. Avery…” |
| 1928 | David’s Lament | Ross Lee Finney (b. 1906, d. 1997) |
choir & keyboard |
|
| 1932 | David’s Lament for Jonathan from Eight Canons for Equal Voices |
Gustav Holst (b. 1874, d. 1934) |
3-9 voices |
“for S.P.G.S.” |
| 1936 | David | Maurice Jacobsen (b. 1896, d. 1976) |
ballet |
|
| pub. 1937, (rev. 1988) |
David mourneth for Absalom | Normand Lockwood (b. 1906, d. 2002) |
SSAATTBB chorus |
“Written at the suggestion of my wife” |
| 1941 | King David’s Lament for Jonathan | Lou Harrison (b. 1917, d. 2003) |
solo tenor & piano |
|
| 1946 | David Mourns for Absalom | David Diamond (b. 1915, d. 2005) |
solo voice & piano |
“To Hildegard Watson” |
| 1946 | Absalom | Ned Rorem (b. 1923) |
solo voice & piano |
|
| 1947 | Mourning Scene (from Samuel) |
Ned Rorem (b. 1923) |
solo voice & string quartet |
“To Lee Hoiby” |
| 1950 | Triste estaba el Rey David from Tres canciones sefardíes |
Joaquin Rodrigo (b. 1901, d. 1999) |
SATB chorus |
“A Domenico de Paoli” |
| 1951 | David’s Lament for Jonathan from Seven Songs for Countertenor and Piano |
Michael Howard (b. 1922, d. 2002) |
countertenor and piano |
|
|
1952-53 |
David; |
Darius Milhaud (b. 1892, d. 1974) |
opera |
|
|
1953 |
Lament of David, op. 169 |
Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Mario (b. 1895, d. 1968) |
T, double chorus |
|
|
1953 |
Alilot ha Gilboa |
Shlomo Joffe (b. 1909, d. 1995) |
cantata |
|
|
1956 |
David’s Lament |
Mátyás Seiber (b. 1905, d. 1960) |
SATB chorus & harp or piano |
|
|
1961 |
My son, my son, Absalom
|
Anna Gallos (b. 1920) |
SATB chorus
|
“To Donald F. White” |
|
1961-62 |
David’s Lament Over Jonathan |
Stefan Wolpe (b. 1902, d. 1972) |
voice & piano
|
“to Hilda” |
|
1962 |
Planctus |
Malcolm Williamson (b. 1931, d. 2003) |
Men’s chorus |
“In memoriam Edward Clark” |
|
1963 |
Lament for Absalom
|
George F. McKay (b. 1899, d. 1970) |
organ |
|
|
1968 |
David |
Bob Burroughs |
musical drama for children’s chorus |
|
|
1968 |
David’s Lament for Saul and Jonathan |
Philip Hagemann |
SATB |
|
|
1970 |
And David Wept |
Ezra Laderman |
cantata/opera
|
|
| 1971 | Absalom, Absalom | Carl Johnson (b. 1935) |
motet, 8 part chorus | |
| 1972 | Absalom My Son | Ethan Haimo (b. 1950) |
chorus | |
| 1973 | David wept for slain Absalom, Opus 246, No. 1 |
Alan Hovhaness (b. 1911, d. 2000) |
SSATBB chorus | “for Richard Westenburg” |
| 1973 | David’s Lamentation | Lloyd Pfautsch (b. 1921, d. 2003) |
SATB chorus | “To Howard Swan” |
| 1974 | When David Heard | John Chorbajian (b. 1936) |
SATB chorus |
|
| 1974 | O my son Absalom from Glorious |
Abraham Kaplan (b. 1931) |
SATB chorus & orchestra |
|
| 1975 | When David Heard | Norman Dinerstein (b. 1937, d. 1982) |
SATB chorus | “dedicated to the memory of Cantor Joseph Cohn” |
| 1977 | O Absalom | Elisabeth Lutyens (b. 1906, d. 1983) |
oboe, English horn, violin, viola, & cello | |
| 1977 | Absalom | Eugene W. Hancock (b. 1929, d. 1994) |
sacred song, baritone & piano |
|
| 1979 | Absalom, from Five Sacred Songs | Richard L. DeLong (b. 1951, d. 1994) |
voice & keyboard | “for John Hanby” |
| 1980 | When David Heard, from Three Motets | David Cohen (b. 1927) |
SATB chorus | “Written for the Bach & Madrigal Society” |
| before 1982 | Absalom, My Son | George Kleinsinger (b. 1914, d. 1982) |
SATB chorus |
|
| 1982 | David’s Lament for Jonathan | Alan Ridout (b. 1934, d. 1996) |
SSAATBB chorus |
|
| 1982 | When David Heard | Jennifer Fowler (b. 1939) |
SATB chorus & piano |
|
|
1983 |
David’s Lament |
Shlomo Joffe (b. 1909, d. 1995) |
SATB chorus |
|
| 1983 | “Triste Estaba el Rey David” from Romancero | Mario Davidovsky (b. 1934) |
voice & chamber ensemble |
|
| 1984 | David’s Lament | Rick Sowash (b. 1950) |
SATB |
“for Bill, Carol, and Amy Goldman” |
| 1985 | King David’s Lament for Jonathan from Three Songs |
Lou Harrison (b. 1917, d. 2003) |
male chorus & chamber ensemble |
|
| 1986 | Absalom | Timothy Whitworth Smith |
SATB chorus |
“To Dr. Gordon Paine and the University Choir of Cal. State Fullerton” |
| 1988 | When David Heard | Colin Mawby (b. 1936) |
SATB chorus & piano |
|
| 1993 | When David Heard | Brett Terry (b. 1968) |
SATB chorus |
|
| 1994 | When David Heard | Benjamin Broening (b. 1964) |
Men’s Chorus |
“Commissioned by Virginia Glee Club” |
| 1995 | Absalom | Robert Christensen |
chorus and orchestra |
|
| 1995 | The Lament of Absalom |
Francis Wong |
“Asian Improv” saxophone |
|
| 1996 | Absalom, Absalom | Pierce Pettis |
folk song; solo voice & guitar |
|
| 1996 | Absalom | León Schidlowsky (b. 1931) |
orchestra | |
| 1997 | “Absalom, My Absalom” from King David | Tim Rice (b. 1944) |
Broadway musical |
|
| 1997 | “How Mighty Are the Fallen” from King David | Tim Rice (b. 1944) |
Broadway musical |
|
| 1997 | David and Absalom | Justin H. Rubin (b. 1971) |
cantata | |
| 1998 | Absalom | Dale Jergenson (b. 1935) |
SATB double choir, tympani, & piano |
|
| 1998 | David’s Lament from David and Saul | Jan Roosendael (b. 1960, d. 2005) |
harp & chamber orchestra |
|
| 1998 | Lamentatio David filii sui Absalom | Jacob Werner (b. 1938) |
baritone, chamber ensemble, & organ |
|
| 1999 | When David Heard | Eric Whitacre (b. 1970) |
SSAATTBB chorus | “for Dr. Ronald Staheli” |
| 1999, rev. 2005 |
When David Heard | Richard Burchard (b. 1960) |
TTTBBB divisi |
|
| 2000 | David Mourns for Absalom | Bern Herbolsheimer (b. 1948) |
SATB chorus |
“to Fujio Matayoshi” |
| 2001 | Absalom | Alexandra Du Bois (b. 1981) |
violin & prepared piano |
|
| 2002 | Jonathan and David | David York (b. 1958) |
opera |
|
| 2002 | King David, the Musical |
Eyal Bitton (b. 1970) |
musical |
|
| 2002 | Absalom |
Adam Jones |
guitar and jazz ensemble |
|
| 2002 | Absalom |
Jeff Buser (b. 1963) |
solo voice & guitar |
|
| 2003 | Absolon, my son |
Jonathan Rathbone |
SSAATTBB chorus |
“For Dr. Martin Ennis and the Chapel Choir of Girton College, Cambridge” |
| 2004 | When David Heard from Three Sacred Songs |
Paul Crabtree (b. 1960) |
SATB chorus |
“for Magen Solomon and the San Francisco Choral Artists” |
| 2004 | Absalom |
Jeffrey Cobb (b. 1967) |
SSAATTBB chorus & piano |
|
| 2005 | When David Heard |
Patricia Alessandrini |
percussion, contrabass, and electronics |
|
| 2005 | When David Heard |
Richard Burchard (b. 1960) |
SSATTB divisi |
“for Dr. Greg Detweiler” |
| 2005 | When David Heard |
Tom Wiggall (b. 1978) |
SATB chorus |
|
| 2006 | When David Heard, op. 10, no. 1 | Tom O’ Driscoll (b. 1986) |
SSAATB chorus |
|
| 2006 | Absalom, FIli Mi |
Nathanael Pangrazio (b. 1985) |
chorus |
Endnotes
1Godt, “Prince Henry as Absalom,” 318-30. A timeline of the seventeenth-century English musical settings is located in Table A.2 of the appendix.
2A timeline spanning the ninth through twenty-first centuries of the known musical works based on David’s laments for Absalom and Jonathan is located in tables A.1 – A.3 in the appendix.
3Note that the Latin Vulgate version of this text does not include the words “to God” that appear in the Douay-Rheims English translation. However the Latin text “quis mihi tribuat ut ego moriar pro te” translates to “who would grant to me that I might die for you.” So, even though the word “Deus” does not occur in the Vulgate translation of King David’s utterance, it is implied, since God would most likely be the authority figure whom King David would ask to be given permission to die for his son.
4A transcription of the Rex autem David chant is located in Harrison, Motets of English Provenance, 171.
5English translation found in Picker, Motet Books of Andrea Antico, 64.
6The information in this table came from three sources: Bryden and Hughes, Index of Gregorian Chant; Frere, Antiphonale Sarisburiense; and Chadd and Cummings, CURSUS. For other concordances see Bailey, CANTUS.
7See Albrecht, Symphoniae Jucundae, 151-52. Gioia Filocamo is preparing a critical edition of MS Panciatichi 27, which she dates around 1506. The discantus and altus parts of Rex autem David are found in St Gall, Stiftsbibliothek, MS 463, where they are attributed to “Adrianus Villaert.” However, this attribution is unlikely, especially in view of Filocamo’s dating of Panciatichi 27.
8See Picker, Motet Books of Andrea Antico, 424-27.
9See Bernet Kempers, Opera omnia, 123-30.
10See Ribera, Rex autem David.
11See Bossuyt, Triciniorum sacrorum, 115-21.
12See Spilker, “King David’s Lamentations,” 79-84.
13Many thanks to Bonnie Blackburn, who pointed this out me at the 2007 International Medieval and Renaissance Music Conference in Vienna. Filocamo’s edition of Panciatichi MS 27 is forthcoming in the Monumenta Musica Europea series.
14Swing, “Mathieu Gascogne.”
15Elders and Forney, “Jacobus Clemens non Papa.”
16Stevenson, “Bernardino de Ribera.”.
17Bossuyt, Derde, and Willaert, “Jean de Castro.”
18Shindle, “Giovanni de Macque.”
19This English translation was provided by Lyndsey Thornton-Woods in an email to the author.
20Breviarium Romanum, 1923. The verses read include: 2 Samuel 18: 6-12, 14-17.
21See Davidson and Kreider, Pierre de la Rue Motets, 204-207 and Smijers, Werken Van Josquin, 22-25.
22See Albrecht, Symphoniae Jucundae, 55-57.
23See Pujol, Tres libros, 86 and Binkley and Frenk, Spanish Romances, 59-62.
24See Spilker, “King David’s Lamentations,” 76-78.
25Doleo super te Absalon may be a contrafactum of Doleo super te Jesu, attributed to Appenzeller in RISM 1540.7.
26See Gardner and Harris, A capella, 17-33. This work is not contained in the complete works for either Josquin or Gombert. RISM 1564.1 is the only source that contains both parts of Lugebat David Absalon together in the same source, and it is attributed to Josquin. Both parts appear in other sources as separate pieces with different texts. In fact, Garner and Harris question whether or not the two parts of Lugebat David Absalon actually belong together as one piece. See Gardner and Harris, A capella, 136-7.
27See Snow, Rodrigo de Ceballos, 149-55.
28See Skulj, Opus Musicum, 31-39.
29Atlas, Renaissance Music, 271.
30The English translation is found in Atlas, Renaissance Music, 271.
31The Latin texts are taken from Weber, Biblia Sacra.
32English biblical texts are taken from Gibbons, The Holy Bible.
33The English translation was provided by Lyndsey Thornton-Woods in an email to the author.
34The Latin text and translation is from Gardner and Harris, A capella, 137.
35The English translation was provided by Lyndsey Thornton-Woods in an email to the author.
36The English translation was provided by Dr. Charles E. Brewer in an email to the author.
37The two stanzas of the Spanish text are found in Pujol, Tres libros, 76. I have adapted the English translation for the first stanza from Davidovsky, Romancero, ii. The English translation for the second stanza was provided by Leon Garcia in an email to the author.
38Noble, “Josquin des Prez.”
39The dating of the four plainchant antiphons above is based on the earliest source for each antiphon. The information for dating the sources came from Bailey, CANTUS.
40This list of compositions is based on Godt, “Prince Henry as Absalom,” 328-330. The numbers assigned to the anonymous composers are taken from Daniel and Le Huray, English Church Music.