Lament
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A lament or lamentation is a song or poem expressing grief, regret or mourning. Many of the oldest and most lasting poems in human history have been laments. Laments are present in both the Iliad and the Odyssey, in the Hindu Vedas, and in ancient Near Eastern religious texts, including the Mesopotamian city laments such as the Lament for Ur and the Jewish Tanakh (or Old Testament).
[edit] Celtic tradition
In the traditional music of Scotland, a lament is also a genre of musical composition for the bagpipes. In Scots Gaelic, these pieces are often called pìobaireachd or pibroch (an Anglicised spelling representing the pronunciation). In form, these slow pieces are a theme and variations, beginning with a slow air (called the urlar) which is played with variations and embellishments; the simple melody returns to finish the piece. These pieces are usually named after a person; traditionally, the person for whom they were composed was a warrior slain in battle.
The traditional lament played at Commonwealth services of remembrance is a solo bagpipe version of Flowers of the Forest.
[edit] Musical term
A lament in music is a piece featuring a basso ostinato. Its repeating bass theme contains a descending, typically chromatic figure (often descending from tonic to dominant) in slow triple meter. A good example of this is Henry Purcell's 'When I am laid in earth'.
[edit] See also
- Planctus, a Latin form
- Complainte, a French form
- Genre of the Lamentations
- Lamentations of Jeremiah the Prophet
- Book of Lamentations
