September 25, 2018

James Murrell
MUS 6470-01
Fall 2018
Dr. Dennis Loranger, Ph. D.

Read through Heller's analysis of Schütz's Fili mi, Absalon (p. 62 in the anthology). Look espe-
cially at her discussion of the harmonic language used in this piece. Do you agree with her take,
or do you see points that are controversial?

I did not see anything wrong with Heller’s take on the harmonic language in Schütz's “Fili mi,
Absalon”. She talks about the diatonic nature of the piece and the use of the A-minor and A-Ma-
jor tonalities. The shifting of the A-minor tonality to the A-major tonality can be seen in mea-
sures 45 and 47 with the introduction of the G-sharp note in those measures.
Heller breaks down “Fili mi, Absalon” into two parts separated by the two sinfonias. She talks
about there being more harmonic movement in the second half of the piece with some chromati-
cism. There is a F sharp-Major tonality in measure 108 and then the piece shifts to a B-Major
tonality. These shifts are brought on by the lyrics in which David wishes to be dead in place of
his son Absalon who has died. Heller indicates that these shifts from the flat tonality to the more
sharp tonalities are similar to Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo”.
Overall I would agree with Heller’s take and and would not add or subtract from her analysis of
the harmony in Schütz's “Fili mi, Absalon”. The one thing that I would note slightly different is
that the use of the trombones in the sinfonias and the call/responses between the vocals and the
trombones are uniquely different than the music that we have studied so far. The piece is almost
like a concerto in that way.

What is the story of Jephte? Look at the scene included in the anthology (p. 72). What is the
emotional state being depicted. How does Carissimi use music to give the text the appropriate af-
fect? Discuss any musical techniques that he uses, but address in particular the "echoes" and the
harmonic vocabulary in the first section of "Plorate colles."

The story of Jephte is from the Bible the Book of Judges 11:1-40. In the story Jephte prays to
God that if he wins the battle against the Ammonites he will sacrifice the first person he sees
upon his return. When Jephte returns the first person he see is his daughter and he has to sacrifice
her even though he and all the Israelites do not want it to happen and are all sad. This scene,
which is an excerpt from Carissimi’s “Plorate colles” in the Anthology by Heller, is where the
daughter is anguishing over the tragedy and is calling out for sympathy from the people of Israel
and they respond back to her. Throughout this excerpt from “Plorate colles” the feeling being
portrayed is that of absolute sadness and anguish. The use of the A-minor tonality gives the piece
an overall sense of disparity. There is the use of chromatic movement such as the G-sharp note in
measure 2 and F-sharp notes in measure 6 would imply a shift to an A-Major tonality. There is
also the use of the B-flat and E-flat note throughout the beginning which is sort of like a shift to a
F-Major/F-minor like tonalities in measures 1 and 3. Throughout “Plorate colles” there is con-
stant shifting between the A-minor and A-Major tonalities. These shifts in tonality would lead
the listener to a feeling of tension and anxiety because of the lack of a tonal center.
Another technique Carissimi uses in this excerpt from “Plorate colles” is the shifting of tempo
throughout the piece. As the lament of Jephte’s daughter intensifies in the lyric the tempo in-
creases as in measures 5, 9, 18, and especially in measures 45-54. I see/hear the echos that Caris-
simi used in measures 12-13, 30-31, & 54-55 as a way to emphasize the feeling of the despair
with the lyrics translated as meaning wail (m 12-13), weep (m 30-31), and resound (m 54-55).
It is my opinion that all these techniques used in this excerpt from Carissimi’s “Plorate colles” all
together represents the lament that Jephte’s daughter had in a way that is musically profound.
The use of the A-minor tonality with chromatic shifts to A-minor and other tonalities plus tempo
changes and echos truly give the listener the feeling of anguish and disparity throughout the
piece.