I heard this beautiful music on Radio 3 this morning. It stopped me in my tracks and couldn’t do anything until it was finished. It’s by someone who’s quite new to me called Thomas Tomkins, a Welsh composer who lived from 1572 to 1656. This piece is setting of a biblical text from the 2nd Book of Samuel (Chapter 18 Verse 13) when David learns of the death of his son Absalom. In the King James version this reads
Follow @telescoperAnd the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!
In the Dark 