A threnody is a wailing ode,

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

poem Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

of mourning composed or performed as a

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

to a dead person. The term originates from the Greek word θρηνῳδία (''threnoidia''), from θρῆνος (''threnos'', "wailing") and ᾠδή (''oide'', "ode"), the latter ultimately from the

Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. No direct record of Proto-Indo-European exists; its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-Euro ...

root *''h₂weyd-'' ("to sing") that is also the precursor of such words as "ode", "tragedy", "comedy", "parody", "melody" and "rhapsody". Similar terms include " dirge", " coronach", "

lament A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about something ...

" and " elegy". The '' Epitaphios Threnos'' is the lamentation chanted in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

Holy Saturday Holy Saturday (), also known as Great and Holy Saturday, Low Saturday, the Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday, Saturday of the Glory, Easter Eve, Joyous Saturday, the Saturday of Light, Good Saturday, or Black Saturday, among other names, is t ...

. John Dryden commemorated the death of

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

in the long poem '' Threnodia Augustalis'', and

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...

wrote a "Threnody" in memory of his son.

Examples

In written works: * John McCrae's " In Flanders Fields" * Countee Cullen's "Threnody for a Brown Girl" * Bruce Dawe's poem " Homecoming" *

's "Threnody" * Peter H. Gilmore's "Threnody for Humanity" * A. E. Housman's "To an Athlete Dying Young" * Jan Kochanowski's "

Laments A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about someth ...

" * Yusef Komunyakaa's "Sunset Threnody" in ''Dien Cai Dau'' (1988) * Anna Stanisławska's ''Transaction, or an Account of the Life of an Orphan Girl told through Mournful Laments in the Year 1685'' In classical music: * Thomas J. Bergersen's " Threnody for Europe" * Benjamin Britten's "Threnody for Albert Herring" * Lou Harrison's ''Threnody for Carlos Chavez'' * Toshio Hosokawa's ''Threnody: To the victims of the Tōhoku 3.11 Earthquake'' (2011) * André Jolivet's "Chant de Linos" for flute and piano or flute, string trio and harp; described by the composer as "a form of threnody: a funeral lamentation interrupted by cries and dances" (1944, premiered 1 June 1945) * Janis Crystal Lipzin's 2003–05 film ''Threnody'' *Two "Thrénodies" from

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

's piano series Années de pèlerinage, set at the Villa d'Este * Marian McPartland's "Threnody", written in memory of pianist Mary Lou Williams * Krzysztof Penderecki's '' Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'' *Gordon Rumson's ''Threnody for John Ogdon'' * Bright Sheng's ''Nanjing! Nanjing!'' * William Grant Still's ''Threnody: In Memory of

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...

'' * Takashi Yoshimatsu’s
Threnody to Toki
' *"Threnody for Souls in Torment" by

Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is an English musician, composer, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session mu ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

: *" I Remember Clifford", written by Benny Golson to honor the memory of Clifford Brown *" Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", written by Charles Mingus in memory of Lester Young *"Memories of Lee Morgan", composed by Pharoah Sanders in memory of Lee Morgan. (Morgan had played on

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

's recording of "I Remember Clifford".) *"Bird's Lament" by Moondog, dedicated to

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

*"Threnody for Sharon Tate", written by Freddie Hubbard and İlhan Mimaroğlu, from the 1971 album '' Sing Me a Song of Songmy'' *"Lament for Booker", written by Horace Parlan in memory of Booker Ervin In film and other music: * "Threnody To Earth" by Dream Koala * " Candle in the Wind" by

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

and Bernie Taupin *"

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young *" Since I Lost You" by Genesis *" Tears in Heaven" by

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

*"Threnody" by Sebastian *" Go Rest High on That Mountain" by Vince Gill *"Fiddler's Green" by The Tragically Hip *"Threnody" by Two Gallants *

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

's "Little Susie" from the 1995 album '' HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'' *"Threnody for a Duck" from '' Peter and the Wolf (1975 rock album)'' by Jack Lancaster and Robin Lumley *"Threnody" by Goldmund *"In Trenodia" by Ville Valo

References

Bibliography

* Marcello Sorce Keller, "Expressing, Communicating, Sharing and Representing Grief and Sorrow with Organized Sound (Musings in Eight Short Sentences)", in Stephen Wild, Di Roy, Aaron Corn, and Ruth Lee Martin (eds.), ''Humanities Research: One Common Thread the Musical World of Lament'', Australian National University, Vol. XIX (2013), no. 3, 3–14.

External links

* {{Wiktionary-inline Death music Genres of poetry

Examples

See also

References

Bibliography

External links