Dido's Lament - Brass Quintet

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About This Work

'Dido's Lament' is the popular name for Henry Purcell's famous aria "When I am laid in earth", from the opera 'Dido and Aeneas'. 

The lament opens with a descending chromatic line with the ground bass being repeated eleven times throughout the aria. The original meter is 3/2 has been changed to 3/4 in the key of G minor. Henry Purcell has applied word painting on the words 'laid' which is also given a descending chromatic line portraying death and agony, and 'Remember me' which is presented in a syllabic text setting and repeated with its last presentation leaping in register with a sudden crescendo displaying her desperate cry with urgency as she prepares for her fate: death! 

Traditionally played by the massed military bands of the Guards Division at the Cenotaph each Remembrance Sunday this aria has a special place in the musical heritage of the United Kingdom. In this new, Geoff Kingston has retained all the solemnity of Purcell's original score and used the full resource of the Brass Quintet to produce a powerful score suitable for concert performance. 

This much loved work is suitable for all occasions and ideal for sacred, memorial and solemn occasions. It also makes a great atmospheric musical pause in your recital.

Also available for Concert Band.

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