Sheet music
Composer(s):
Publisher(s):
Publishernumber:
PUR9
Instrument(s):
Overige informatie:
Soprano-Alto/Tenor and Bass solos with Bc
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This dramatic work, described as a Paraphrase when it was published by Henry Playford, is based on the biblical story of the ghost of Samuel being raised by the witch at the behest of the king, Saul. The desperate king, sung by the tenor, comes to the Witch (soprano) by night and in disguise. Overcoming her misgivings, he gets her to summon up the ghost of the prophet Samuel to foretell his fate. Samuel, sung by the bass, appears from the nether regions, to prophesy in doom-laden terms. Purcell exploits the drama to the full: the scene is set by the sombre opening chorus; the exchanges between the characters are full of tension and suspense; and it finishes with a chorus where, as Peter Holman writes, 'Purcell picked out the word 'farewell', with the singers in character to the end, the witch and the ghost icily dismissing the shattered king, who can only sob in semitone slides over descending passacaglia-like harmonies. Once heard, these wonderful yet horrifying 10 bars can never be forgotten'. This story has been the inspiration for a number of composers both before and after Purcell. These include Schütz (Saul, Saul was verfolgst du mich?, 1650) and Charpentier (the prologue to the opera David et Jonathas, 1688), as well as Robert Ramsey (In guilty Night, c1628).
Composer(s):
Publisher(s):
Publishernumber:
PUR9
Instrument(s):
ISBN:
Number:
180839
Theme(s):
Overige informatie:
Soprano-Alto/Tenor and Bass solos with Bc
