A dirge (Latin: dirige, nenia[1]) is a somber song or lament expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral. Often taking the form of a brief hymn, dirges are typically shorter and less meditative than elegies.[2] Dirges are often slow and bear the character of funeral marches.[3][4] Poetic dirges may be dedicated to a specific individual or otherwise thematically refer to death.[5]
The English word dirge is derived from the LatinDirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam ("Direct my way in your sight, O Lord my God"), the first words of the first antiphon (a short chant in Christian liturgy) in the Matins (a canonical hour before sunrise) of the Office for the Dead (a prayer cycle), based on Psalms 5:8 (5:9 in the Vulgate). The original meaning of dirge in English referred to this office, particularly as it appeared within breviaries and primer prayer books.[6][7]: 71 [8]
In the late Medieval period, it was common for Western Christian laity–both men and women–to attend the celebration of the Divine Office (canonical hours) according to various editions of the breviary alongside members of monastic communities.[6] However, the complexity of these breviaries proved prohibitive for a layperson to adopt in private use, so certain devotions that were invariable or only varied slightly day-to-day were adapted into primers.[7]: 70
Among the most consistent devotions within these primers was the Office of the Dead, a popular arrangement of the canonical hours as prayers for the dead. This office was itself typically divided into two hours for recitation at different times of day: Dirige (equivalent to Matins and Lauds) in the morning and Placebo (equivalent to Vespers or Evensong) in the evening. Both terms were derived from among first words always said when reciting those hours, with Dirige starting an antiphon derived from Psalm 5.[7]: 71 Gradually, Dirige and eventually "dirge" came to refer to not only to the morning hour, but to the Office of the Dead as a whole and its pairing with the Psalms of Commendation (Psalms 119 and 139).[5][9]: 210 This practice was codified in the 1559 standardized primer issued under Elizabeth I, wherein both hours appeared under the collective name Dirige.[7]: 71
Prior to the English Reformation, translated sections from the Dirige were among the most circulated vernacular portions of the Bible available in England as recitation by laity of these prayers was common at funerals and gravesites.[9]: 44, 79–80 Formal liturgical saying of the Dirige–then legally required to be in Latin[10]–persisted through the first half of the 16th century, with occasional requirements that certain proportions of a parish church's congregation be present for such events.[9]: 135
The word "dirge" gradually came to be associated with the variety of funeral hymns it describes today. Among the earliest was a pre-Reformation funeral lament from the Cleveland area of north-east Yorkshire, England, known as the Lyke-Wake Dirge. The contents are neither scriptural nor liturgical, but rather speak to the means of salvation through Christ via alms-giving.[9]: 358 A simultaneous development was a funerary "tariff" wherein those present at the recitation of the canonical Dirige would be paid a small amount from the estate of the deceased.[9]: 359 It is associated with the still-practiced Lyke Wake Walk, a 40-mile challenge walk across the moorlands of north-east Yorkshire,[11] as the members' anthem of the Lyke Wake Club, a society whose members are those who have completed the walk within 24 hours.[12] This dirge saw a resurgence in popularity in the 1960s following performances by English folk bands such The Young Tradition and Pentangle.[13]
While private devotionals were proliferated under the Reform-minded Elizabeth, the number of permitted public liturgical devotions were targeted for curtailment.[14] The Dirige was retained within the Elizabethan primer over Protestant objections to prayers for the dead and there remained resistance to the public liturgical performance of the devotion.[7]: 80 In 1560 and 1561, episcopal visitors of the Church of England observed with disapproval the continued practice of clerks singing psalms in "dirge-like" fashion.[9]: 571
Since their evolution away from Christian usage, some dirges have intentionally been written to be set to music, while others have been set or reset at later dates. Among the latter cases is the "Dirge for Fidele", a portion of William Shakespeare's play Cymbeline that was later set to music by multiple composers.[3]
^Kennedy, Michael; Kennedy, Joyce Bourne (2007–2013). "nenia". The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. Oxford University Press. from the original on 23 December 2023.
^ abBroderick, Robert C., ed. (1944). "Dirge". Concise Catholic Dicitionary. Saint Paul, MN: Catechetical Guild Educational Society. p. 116.
^ abThurston, Herbert (1911). "The Primer". Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York City: Robert Appleton Company – via NewAdvent.org.
^ abcdePullan, Leighton (1901). Newbolt, W.C.E; Stone, Darwell (eds.). The History of the Book of Common Prayer. The Oxford Library of Practical Theology (3rd ed.). London: Longmans, Green, and Co.
^Armentrout, Don S.; Slocum, Robert Boak (eds.). "Dirge". An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians. New York City: Church Publishing Incorporated.
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.
February 15, 2024
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For other uses see Dirge disambiguation Look up dirge in Wiktionary the free dictionary A dirge Latin dirige nenia 1 is a somber song or lament expressing mourning or grief such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral Often taking the form of a brief hymn dirges are typically shorter and less meditative than elegies 2 Dirges are often slow and bear the character of funeral marches 3 4 Poetic dirges may be dedicated to a specific individual or otherwise thematically refer to death 5 The English word dirge is derived from the Latin Dirige Domine Deus meus in conspectu tuo viam meam Direct my way in your sight O Lord my God the first words of the first antiphon a short chant in Christian liturgy in the Matins a canonical hour before sunrise of the Office for the Dead a prayer cycle based on Psalms 5 8 5 9 in the Vulgate The original meaning of dirge in English referred to this office particularly as it appeared within breviaries and primer prayer books 6 7 71 8 Contents 1 History 2 Notable dirges 3 See also 4 References 5 BibliographyHistory edit nbsp Dirge of Three Queens c 1895 by Edwin Austin Abbey inspired by The Two Noble KinsmenIn the late Medieval period it was common for Western Christian laity both men and women to attend the celebration of the Divine Office canonical hours according to various editions of the breviary alongside members of monastic communities 6 However the complexity of these breviaries proved prohibitive for a layperson to adopt in private use so certain devotions that were invariable or only varied slightly day to day were adapted into primers 7 70 Among the most consistent devotions within these primers was the Office of the Dead a popular arrangement of the canonical hours as prayers for the dead This office was itself typically divided into two hours for recitation at different times of day Dirige equivalent to Matins and Lauds in the morning and Placebo equivalent to Vespers or Evensong in the evening Both terms were derived from among first words always said when reciting those hours with Dirige starting an antiphon derived from Psalm 5 7 71 Gradually Dirige and eventually dirge came to refer to not only to the morning hour but to the Office of the Dead as a whole and its pairing with the Psalms of Commendation Psalms 119 and 139 5 9 210 This practice was codified in the 1559 standardized primer issued under Elizabeth I wherein both hours appeared under the collective name Dirige 7 71 Prior to the English Reformation translated sections from the Dirige were among the most circulated vernacular portions of the Bible available in England as recitation by laity of these prayers was common at funerals and gravesites 9 44 79 80 Formal liturgical saying of the Dirige then legally required to be in Latin 10 persisted through the first half of the 16th century with occasional requirements that certain proportions of a parish church s congregation be present for such events 9 135 The word dirge gradually came to be associated with the variety of funeral hymns it describes today Among the earliest was a pre Reformation funeral lament from the Cleveland area of north east Yorkshire England known as the Lyke Wake Dirge The contents are neither scriptural nor liturgical but rather speak to the means of salvation through Christ via alms giving 9 358 A simultaneous development was a funerary tariff wherein those present at the recitation of the canonical Dirige would be paid a small amount from the estate of the deceased 9 359 It is associated with the still practiced Lyke Wake Walk a 40 mile challenge walk across the moorlands of north east Yorkshire 11 as the members anthem of the Lyke Wake Club a society whose members are those who have completed the walk within 24 hours 12 This dirge saw a resurgence in popularity in the 1960s following performances by English folk bands such The Young Tradition and Pentangle 13 While private devotionals were proliferated under the Reform minded Elizabeth the number of permitted public liturgical devotions were targeted for curtailment 14 The Dirige was retained within the Elizabethan primer over Protestant objections to prayers for the dead and there remained resistance to the public liturgical performance of the devotion 7 80 In 1560 and 1561 episcopal visitors of the Church of England observed with disapproval the continued practice of clerks singing psalms in dirge like fashion 9 571 Since their evolution away from Christian usage some dirges have intentionally been written to be set to music while others have been set or reset at later dates Among the latter cases is the Dirge for Fidele a portion of William Shakespeare s play Cymbeline that was later set to music by multiple composers 3 Notable dirges edit A Dirge by Christina Rossetti 2 A Dirge by Percy Bysshe Shelley Dirge for Fidele by William Shakespeare from Cymbeline set to music several times including by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gerald Finzi 3 Lyke Wake Dirge repopularized in the 1960s by English folk groups 13 Ring Out Your Bells by Sir Philip Sidney 2 See also editCumha Death wail Funeral march Keening Lament bass Lamentations of Jeremiah the Prophet Planctus Planh Requiem Music Threnody TombeauReferences edit Kennedy Michael Kennedy Joyce Bourne 2007 2013 nenia The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music Oxford University Press Archived from the original on 23 December 2023 a b c Dirge Glossary of Terms Poetry Foundation Retrieved 20 August 2022 a b c Kennedy Michael Bourne Joyce eds dirge The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music Oxford University Press via Encyclopedia com dirge Cambridge Dictionary Cambridge University Press Retrieved 22 August 2022 a b Broderick Robert C ed 1944 Dirge Concise Catholic Dicitionary Saint Paul MN Catechetical Guild Educational Society p 116 a b Thurston Herbert 1911 The Primer Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 12 New York City Robert Appleton Company via NewAdvent org a b c d e Pullan Leighton 1901 Newbolt W C E Stone Darwell eds The History of the Book of Common Prayer The Oxford Library of Practical Theology 3rd ed London Longmans Green and Co Armentrout Don S Slocum Robert Boak eds Dirge An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians New York City Church Publishing Incorporated a b c d e f Duffy Eamon 1992 The Stripping of the Altars Traditional Religion in England c 1400 to c 1580 New Haven CT Yale University Press Cross F L Livingstone E A eds 1997 Primer The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church 3rd ed London Oxford University Press p 1327 ISBN 0 19 211655 X Cowley Bill 1959 Lyke Wake Walk 1st edition Dalesman Books The Lyke Wake Dirge www lykewake org a b Rumens Carol 16 February 2009 Poem of the week The Lyke Wake Dirge The Guardian Retrieved 22 August 2022 Dearmer Percy 1933 The Story of the Prayer Book 1948 ed London Oxford University Press p 41 Bibliography editMarcello 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 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dirge amp oldid 1194339597, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
