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Dido's Lament

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Aria from Henry Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas

Lea Desandre performs "Dido's Lament" with Les Arts Florissants in 2020

Dido's Lament ("When I am laid in earth") is the closing aria from the opera Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell to a libretto by Nahum Tate.

Dido's Lament chromatic fourth ground bass, measures 1–6

It is included in many classical music textbooks to illustrate the descending chromatic fourth (passus duriusculus) in the ground bass. The conductor Leopold Stokowski wrote a transcription of the piece for symphony orchestra. This is played annually in London by the massed bands of the Guards Division at the Cenotaph remembrance parade in Whitehall on Remembrance Sunday, the Sunday nearest to 11 November (Armistice Day).

The Aeneid

Opening
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The text, as well as Purcell's opera, is based on the Aeneid, the Roman epic poem by Virgil about the Trojan warrior Aeneas, travelling to Italy from the fallen Troy in order to settle there and secure his son Ascanius's lineage. Their ship is blown off course from Sicily, and they land on the shore of North Africa in Carthage, a town newly settled by refugees from Tyre. Aeneas falls in love with their queen, Dido, but dutifully departs for Italy, leaving her. Distraught at his betrayal, she orders a pyre to be built and set ablaze so that Aeneas will see from his ship that she has killed herself. She sings the lament before stabbing herself as Aeneas sails on.

Analysis

The opening secco recitative, "Thy hand, Belinda", is accompanied by continuo only. Word painting is applied on the text "darkness" and "death" which is presented with chromaticism, symbolising death and descent into the grave.

The ground bass opening "Dido's Lament" forms a chromatic stepwise descent over the interval of a perfect fourth, the chromatic fourth,

{ \time 3/2 \clef bass \key g \minor \relative c' { \partial 2 g2\pp | fis1 f2 | e1 es2 | d1 bes2 | c2 d1 | g,1 } }

which is repeated eleven times throughout the aria, thus structuring the piece in the form of a passacaglia. The metre is
2 in the key of G minor.

Purcell has applied word painting on the words "laid", which is also given a descending chromatic line portraying death and agony,

{ \time 3/2 \clef treble \key g \minor \relative c'' << \new Voice = "melody" { g2 a bes | bes( a) b | c4.(bes8 a4. g8 fis4.) g8 | fis1 } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "melody" { \lyricmode { When I am laid, __ am laid __ in earth, } } >> }

and "remember me", which is presented in a syllabic text setting and repeated

{ \time 3/2 \clef treble \key g \minor \relative c'' << \new Voice = "melody" { \partial 2 r4. d8 | d4. d8 d2 r2 | r2 r2 r4. d8 | d4. d8 d2 r2 | r2 } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "melody" { \lyricmode { Re -- mem -- ber me! re -- mem -- ber me! } } >> }

with its last presentation leaping in register with a sudden crescendo

{ \time 3/2 \clef treble \key g \minor \relative c'' << \new Voice = "melody" { \partial 2 r4.\< d8 | g4. g8 g2..\! c,8 | d8( es f2 es4\> d2) | c4( bes) bes2 a4( g) | g1.\! } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "melody" { \lyricmode { Re -- mem -- ber me! but ah! __ for -- get my __ fate.} } >> }

displaying her desperate cry with urgency as she prepares for her fate: death. In one interpretation, Dido's relationship with Aeneas is portrayed in this moment as an "apocalyptic romance".

Text

Recitative
Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me,
On thy bosom let me rest,
More I would, but Death invades me;
Death is now a welcome guest.

Aria
When I am laid, am laid in earth, May my wrongs create
No trouble, no trouble in thy breast;
Remember me, remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
Remember me, but ah! forget my fate.

{ \time 3/2 \clef treble \key g \minor \override Score.BarNumber.break-visibility = ##(#f #f #t) \set Score.barNumberVisibility = #all-bar-numbers-visible \set Score.currentBarNumber = #14 \bar "" \relative c'' << \new Voice = "melody" { g2 a bes | bes( a) b | c4.(bes8 a4. g8 fis4.) g8 | fis1 d'4. es8 | d4.( c8 bes2..\prall) a8 | bes1 es2 | es4( a,) a2 d | d8( g,) g4 a2( g4.\prall) fis8 | a1 r2 } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "melody" { \lyricmode { When I am | laid, __ am | laid __ in | earth, may my | wrongs __ cre -- | ate no | trou -- ble, no | trou -- ble in __ thy | breast } } >> }

References

  1. Kapilow, Robert (2008). All You Have to Do Is Listen, p. 151. ISBN 978-0-470-38544-9.
  2. ^ Matthew Linder (20 June 2012). "Apocalyptic Romance: 'When I am Laid in Earth'". theretuned.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012.
  3. "Baroque Musical Examples – Henry Purcell: 'Dido's Lament'". School of Music, Western Michigan University.

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