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Type of Document Thesis Author Spilker, John Dominic Author's Email Address johndspilker@gmail.com URN etd-06292006-190728 Title The Context and Tradition of King David's Lamentations Degree Master of Music Department Music, College of Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title Dr. Charles E. Brewer Committee Chair Dr. Jeffery Kite-Powell Committee Member Dr. Matthew R. Shaftel Committee Member Keywords
- Richard Burchard
- Eric Whitacre
- Colin Mawby
- Jennifer Fowler
- Paul Crabtree
- Anna Gallos
- Thomas Weelkes
- Richard Deering
- Thomas Tomkins
- Doleo super te
- Absalon fili mi
- Rex autem David
- When David Heard
- Motet
- Anthem
- Renaissance
- Tradition
- Liber Samuelis
- Second Samuel
- 2 Samuel 1:17-27
- 2 Samuel 19:4
- 2 Samuel 18:33
- Lamentation
- Lament
- King David
- Saul
- Jonathan
- Absolon
- Absalon
- Absalom
Date of Defense 2006-05-11 Availability unrestricted Abstract The texts of King David’s lamentations for his friend Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:17-27) and his son Absalom (2 Samuel 18:33 and 2 Samuel 19:4) are derived from the Biblical accounts. The first musical settings of David’s lamentations (i.e., Montes Gelboe nec ros, Saul et Jonathas amabiles, Doleo super te, and Rex autem David) originate from medieval antiphonals and their function was liturgical. There are only two other known musical settings from the medieval period: a monophonic planctus by Peter Abelard, Planctus David super Saul et Ionatha and an anonymous fourteenth-century polytextual motet, Doleo super te/Absalon, fili mi.
A tradition emerged during the sixteenth century in which Catholic composers used the text of the liturgical antiphon, Rex autem David, for polyphonic motets. It is likely that these settings were used to replace the liturgical monophonic antiphons. In addition, other sixteenth-century composers wrote polyphonic motets using the texts from the Bible and other poetic interpretations of the biblical accounts depicting David’s lamentations. Since these settings do not use a liturgical text, some scholars have suggested that their function was to mourn the death of the son of an important historical figure.
The tradition of David’s lamentations that developed during the sixteenth-century crossed political and religious boundaries in Europe. In fact, British composers in the early seventeenth-century also wrote musical settings of David’s lamentations and scholars have linked the British settings to the death of Prince Henry in 1612. However the circumstances behind some of the settings (i.e., Thomas Tomkins’s setting of When David Heard) suggest that there could also be other reasons why composers chose to set the texts of David’s lamentations.
The tradition of David’s lamentations has persisted over twelve hundred years, from the ninth century into the twenty-first century, yielding over two hundred musical settings. In order to demonstrate that a composer could have many reasons to use the texts of David’s lamentations, I have interviewed six living composers who wrote musical settings using the text of David’s lament for Absalom: Eric Whitacre, Anna Gallos, Jennifer Fowler, Richard Mawby, Richard Burchard, and Paul Crabtree. The data from these interviews confirm that each composer had a unique reason for choosing to set the Absalom text. The endurance of this tradition suggests that these ancient biblical texts have continued to be relevant to people since they were uttered thousands of years ago by King David. There is a universal quality to these texts that has transcended their original religious connotation because they speak directly to the human condition, which is filled with grief, strife, mourning, and loss.
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