"Dido's Lament" is the commonly used name for the noted aria, "When I am laid in earth", from the opera, Dido and Aeneas, by Henry Purcell (libretto by Nahum Tate).
It is included in many classical music textbooks on account of its exemplary use of ground bass. The conductor Leopold Stokowski wrote a transcription of the piece for symphony orchestra.
"Dido's Lament" has been performed or recorded by artists far from the typical operatic school, such as Klaus Nomi (as "Death"), Ane Brun and Jeff Buckley. It has also been transcribed or used in many scores, including the soundtrack to the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers (renamed "Nixon's Walk") and as the main theme to Downfall. It is played annually (by a military band) at the Cenotaph remembrance ceremony, which takes place on the Sunday nearest to November 11 (Armistice Day) in London's Whitehall.
Read more about Dido's Lament: Analysis, The Aeneid, Text, Influence
Famous quotes containing the word lament:
“Every lover’s lament has an element of boasting.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)