Composer

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Robert Ramsey

Genre

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Miscellaneous

Style

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Miscellaneous

Average_duration

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2:31

"When David Heard" is a choral work composed by Robert Ramsey, an English composer and organist who lived during the 17th century. The piece is a setting of the biblical text from 2 Samuel 18:33, which describes King David's grief upon hearing of the death of his son Absalom. Ramsey's composition is a five-part madrigal, written for five voices (SSATB). It is believed to have been composed in the early 1630s, during Ramsey's tenure as the organist at Trinity College, Cambridge. The piece is characterized by its intense emotional expression, which is conveyed through the use of dissonance, chromaticism, and dramatic shifts in dynamics. The opening phrase, "When David heard that Absalom was slain," is set to a descending chromatic line, which creates a sense of despair and sorrow. The subsequent phrases are marked by sudden changes in dynamics, with the music alternating between quiet, mournful passages and loud, anguished outbursts. The piece is divided into three movements, each of which is marked by a change in tempo and mood. The first movement is slow and mournful, with the voices singing in a homophonic texture. The second movement is faster and more rhythmic, with the voices singing in a polyphonic texture. The final movement returns to the slow, mournful mood of the first movement, with the voices singing in a more complex polyphonic texture. "When David Heard" is considered to be one of Ramsey's most significant works, and it has been widely performed and recorded by choirs around the world. Its emotional intensity and expressive power continue to resonate with audiences today, making it a timeless masterpiece of choral music.

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