Nahum Tate ( ; 1652 – 30 July 1715) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

, hymnist, and

lyricist A lyricist is a writer who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives ...

, who became Poet Laureate in 1692. Tate is best known for '' The History of King Lear'', his 1681

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'', and for his libretto for

Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: ; September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer of Baroque music, most remembered for his more than 100 songs; a tragic opera, Dido and Aeneas, ''Dido and Aeneas''; and his incidental music to a version o ...

's opera, ''

Dido and Aeneas ''Dido and Aeneas'' (Z. 626) is an opera in a prologue and three acts, written by the English Baroque music, Baroque composer Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. The dates of the composition and first performance of the opera are uncer ...

''. He also wrote the lyrics to a

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...

, " While shepherds watched their flocks".

Life

Nahum Tate was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

and came from a family of

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

clerics. He was the son of Faithful Teate, an Irish cleric whose father, also Faithful, had been rector of Castleterra, Ballyhaise, until his house was burnt and his family attacked during the

Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...

. After living at the provost's lodgings in

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

, Faithful Teate moved to England. He was the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...

at East Greenwich around 1650, and "preacher of the gospel" at Sudbury from 1654 to 1658. He had returned to Dublin by 1660. He published a poem on the Trinity entitled ''Ter Tria'', as well as some sermons, two of which he dedicated to Oliver and Henry Cromwell. Nahum Teate followed his father to Trinity College Dublin in 1668, and graduated BM in 1672. By 1676, he had moved to London and was writing for a living. The following year, he had adopted the spelling "Tate", which would remain until his death. He died within the precincts of the Mint,

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, where he had taken refuge from his creditors, on 30 July 1715 and was buried at St George the Martyr, Southwark on 1 August as "of next to the Prince Eugene, Mint".

Works

Tate published a volume of poems in London in 1677, and became a regular writer for the stage. '' Brutus of Alba, or The Enchanted Lovers'' (1678), a tragedy dealing with Dido and

Aeneas In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas ( , ; from ) was a Troy, Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus (mythology), Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy ...

, was dedicated to

Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset (24 January 164329 January 1706) was an English politician, courtier and poet. Early life Sackville was born on 24 January 1643, son of Richard Sackville, 5th Earl of Dorset (1622–1677). His mother was th ...

; it was later adapted as the libretto for

's opera ''

'' (1688 or earlier). '' The Loyal General'', with a prologue by Dryden, played at the

Dorset Garden Theatre The Dorset Garden Theatre in London, built in 1671, was in its early years also known as the Duke of York's Theatre, or the Duke's Theatre. In 1685, King Charles II died and his brother, the Duke of York, was crowned as James II. When the Du ...

in 1680. Tate then turned to making a series of adaptations of Elizabethan dramas. His version of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's '' Richard II'' altered the names of the characters, and changed the text so that every scene, he wrote, was "full of respect to Majesty and the dignity of courts"; in spite of these precautions, though, ''The Sicilian Usurper'' (1681), as his adaptation was called, was suppressed on the third performance on account of a possible political interpretation. In 1681, Thomas Betterton played Tate's version of ''

'' ('' The History of King Lear''), in which the Fool is omitted. Cordelia has a confidante named Arante, and has her own "abduction" scene on the heath. This version concludes with several happy endings with a presumed marriage between Cordelia and Edgar, for Lear (who regains his throne) and Kent. Although

Joseph Addison Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 May 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with w ...

protested at this mutilation of Shakespeare,

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

defended the poetic justice of Tate's adaptation. '' Coriolanus'' became ''The Ingratitude of a Commonwealth'', performed at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

in 1682. Tate's

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

'' A Duke and No Duke'' (first printed 1685, but acted earlier at the Theatre Royal) imitated Sir Aston Cockayne's ''Trappolin suppos'd a Prince''. His '' Cuckold's Haven'' (performed 1685 at the Theatre Royal) was derived from Chapman and John Marston's '' Eastward Ho''. ''The Island Princess, or the Generous Portugals'' (1687) was adapted from John Fletcher. ''Injur'd Love, or the Cruel Husband'' (1707), altered from John Webster's '' The White Devil'', seems never to have been acted. In 1682, Tate collaborated with

John Dryden John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration (En ...

to complete the second half of his epic poem '' Absalom and Achitophel''. Tate wrote the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

for

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

''; its first known performance was in 1689. He also wrote the text for Purcell's Birthday Ode '' Come Ye Sons of Art'' in 1694. Tate also translated ''Syphilis sive Morbus Gallicus'', Girolamo Fracastoro's

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...

poem on the subject of the disease of

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

, into English heroic couplets. Tate's name is connected with '' New Version of the Psalms of David'' (1696), for which he collaborated with Nicholas Brady. Some items such as "As pants the hart" ( Psalm 42) rise above the general level, and are said to be Tate's work. A supplement was licensed in 1703 that included the

" While shepherds watched their flocks", one of a number of hymns by Tate. Of his numerous poems, the most original is ''Panacea, a poem on Tea'' (1700). In spite of his consistent

Toryism A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The T ...

, he succeeded Thomas Shadwell as poet laureate in 1692. His poems were sharply criticised by

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...

in '' The Dunciad''.

Modern stagings

In 1985, the Riverside Shakespeare Company of New York City staged Tate's '' History of King Lear'', directed by W. Stuart McDowell at The Shakespeare Center. Musical interludes were sung by cast members during the act breaks, accompanied by a

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

in the

orchestra pit An orchestra pit is an area in a theatre (usually located in a lowered area in front of the stage) in which musicians perform. The orchestra plays mostly out of sight in the pit, rather than on the stage as for a concert, when providing music fo ...

. In the summer of 2021, the Tate version of King Lear was performed by the NY Classical Theatre in four New York City outdoor locations.

Notes

References

*''Selected Writings of the Laureate Dunces, Nahum Tate (Laureate 1692–1715), Laurence Eusden (1718–1730), and Colley Cibber (1730–1757) (Studies in British Literature, V. 40)'': Peter Heaney, editor. *Dobson, Michael. ''The Making of the National Poet: Shakespeare, Adaptation, and Authorship, 1660-1769''. Oxford: The Clarendon Press (1992). *Lynch, Jack (2007). ''Becoming Shakespeare: The Strange Afterlife That Turned a Provincial Playwright into the Bard.'' New York: Walker & Co. *

External links

Nahum Tate
at th
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA)

Nahum Tate
at The Literary Encyclopedia
Tate's ''King Lear'', 1749 edition
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

Dido's Lament
– Research leading to a narrative account of how Nahum Tate contributed to Henry Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tate, Nahum 1652 births 1715 deaths 17th-century Anglo-Irish people 18th-century Anglo-Irish people 17th-century English poets 17th-century male writers 18th-century English poets 17th-century Irish poets 18th-century Irish poets 18th-century Irish male writers 17th-century English dramatists and playwrights 17th-century Irish dramatists and playwrights Writers from Dublin (city) Alumni of Trinity College Dublin British poets laureate Christian hymnwriters People associated with Shakespeare Irish male poets Irish male dramatists and playwrights English male dramatists and playwrights Irish librettists Irish expatriates in England