Absalon fili mi ? (c.1450–1521) ?Pierre de la Rue (c.1452–1518) London, British Library, MS Royal 8 G. vii [/, c.1513–25] ! % & % SUPERIUS * ' " & 0 -. ! '' % ! " " " " ! # 1 - )8 Ab sa lon fi li mi, fi li mi, ! CONTRA- $ & % TENOR '" " 0 - . ! ( ' % $ $ & " " & - ' ' Ab sa lon fi li mi, ! $ !" TENOR / - . ! ( ' % $ $ $ " " " - ' ' Ab! sa" lon fi li

BASSUS ! , - "# ! ( - . '' '% $ $ $ $ $ - + ! ' Ab!

7 * 2 '' 1 4 4 4 1 & ! ! # 1 " )8 Ab sa lon, ! fi li " ( ' 3 " 1 4 4 " & 3 " " " " ' fi li mi, fi li mi, Ab sa

( ' " # 1 1 1 " 1 1 1 4 1 1 " " 3 " ' ' mi, fi 4 4 1 li mi, Ab 4 sa lon, fi

( ' ' 3 + ' ' sa" lon" "fi "li !mi, ! "fi "li mi,"

13 * " '' " " " 1 4 4 " " # " " )8 mi, Ab sa lon, fi1 li mi, Ab" 'sa" " " " "2 1 " ( ' 4 4 " # 1 1 1 " 1 1 1 " $ ' lon, Ab sa lon fi li mi,

( ' " " "2 4 # 1 1 1 1 1 ' ' li mi, Ab" sa" lon, 4 ! Ab sa lon "fi li 3 ( '' ' + ' Ab" sa" lon,"2 4 4 ! Ab" sa" lon" "fi "li

19 * 1 1 '' 3 $ 3 " " " " " 12 4 )8 lon," Ab sa lon fi li mi, Ab " " " " 1 1 ( ' $ $ " " " 1 " 1 1 1 ' Ab sa lon fi li mi, Ab sa lon

( ' 4 1 1 1 4 4 # " " " 3 ' ' 4 mi, Ab sa 4 4 " lon," fi1 li mi, Ab" sa lon,"

( ' ' 4 3 $ $ + ' ' 1mi,2 4 1 Ab1 4 " 1 " sa" lon,"

RESOLUT Editions RSU–011 © 2018 • Andrew Fysh, Canberra AU • CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 2 Absalon fili mi ?Josquin / La Rue

25 # * 1 " " " " 1 1 '' 1 3 $ " )8 sa lon, Ab sa lon fi " " " 4 ( ' 4 4 4 " 12 4 4 4 1 1 " 1 4 4 " " 3 ' fi li mi, Ab sa1 lon # " $% 1 1 1 ( ' $ $ $ # ' ' Ab" sa1 lon,1 Ab sa lon

3 ( '' ' # 1 1 1 1 1 + ' Ab1 sa lon fi1 li mi,1 Ab 4 4 1 1 " sa" lon,"

30 " " * 1 4 '1 1 4 4 '' 4 " 1 " 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 )8 li mi, Ab sa 4 " lon,1 Ab " " " " # 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 4 4 ( ' # 4 12 4 1 4 4 " 1 ! ' fi li mi, Ab sa lon 2 ( ' 1 4 4 1 1 " " 12 4 1 " " 1 4 4 4 1 ' ' fi li mi, 1 Ab sa lon

( ' 3 ' '' # 1 1 # 1 1 1 + 1Ab 4 4 1 sa lon," Ab1 4 4 sa lon&

35 * '' 4 4 " " 3 " " " " 1 1 " )8 sa1 lon, quis det ut mo ri ar 1 1 1 1 " " ( ' " " 12 4 4 4 4 4 1 1 3 ' fi li mi, Ab sa lon, quis ⌜ ⌝ ( ' 1 4 4 # 4 4 1 4 4 1 1 1 1 1 4 4 4 ' ' " Ab12 4 sa4 4 lon, 4 "

( ' ' 3 " + ' ' "fi "li mi,! quis" det ut" mo" "ri

40 * " " 1 4 1 4 '' # " 1 & 4 1 4 4 4 " )8 pro te, ut mo ri ar pro te, " " " " " " " 12 ( ' " " " # 4 4 4 ' det ut mo ri ar pro te, pro 4 ( ' 3 "4"2 4 4 " 12 4 " 4 4 1 12 4 4 ' ' quis det ut mo ri ar pro 4

( '' ' " 1 1 51 " " " " " + ' ar" pro te,"2 ut mo ri ar pro ?Josquin / La Rue Absalon fili mi 3

45 " * '' " 3 ! " " )8 fi li mi Ab" sa1 1 lon,! ! " ( ' 12 4 4 " 12 4 # 3 " ' te, 1 1 '" fi1 li1 mi1 Ab" sa" lon," non ⌜ 3 ⌝ ( ' " 1 " # 1 1 1 " " " & ' ' 1 te, fi li mi Ab sa" lon, non" vi12 4

( '' ' ! 3 + ' te, "fi "li mi" Ab" sa" !lon, !

51 " " * '' $ " 3 ! )8 non& vi" vam ul"2 1 tra," non " ( ' " " " " 12 4 " " 3 ' vi vam ul tra, ul tra, $ 'non! " " ( ' '1 " " 2 4 4 4 " 1 4 4 4 " ' ' 1 1 4 4 1 1 vam ul1 4 tra,! # ( '' ' $ 4 1 4 4 " ! + ' non& vi" vam" 1ul2 4 4 1 tra,

57 " $%# * " "2 '' " 1 1 4 4 4 4 1 " 1 1 1 " )8 vi" vam ul" 1 tra, sed de scen dam " $%# 441 4 " " " ( ' " " 12 4 4 " 1 3 2 1 ' vi vam ul tra, " sed de scen

( ' '" " 3 " " 1 " # ' ' ul"2 1 " tra, sed de scen 1 dam" in1

( 3 '' ' " " " 1 + ' "ul " & & tra, sed de "scen 1

$%# 63 " " " " * '' # 1 " 1 " " 1 1 " " )8 in in fer 1 num" plo 1 1 " "" " " 1 ( ' 1 1 " # 1 " 1 " 1 1 1 ' dam in in fer num plo rans,4 4 "

( ' "2 '12 4 1 ! ' ' in fer1 1 1 num" 1 plo !

( '' ' # + ' dam" in1 in"2 fer1 1 1 num" 'plo! rans,& 4 Absalon fili mi ?Josquin / La Rue

68 " " * '' ! 3 " 3 ! )8 rans, non" vi" vam ul"2 1 tra," non

( ' " " 12 4 " " 3 ' non! vi vam ul tra, $ 'non! " $%# " " ( ' " " " 2 4 4 4 " 1 4 4 4 " ' ' rans, non 4 1 1 vi vam1 ul 4 tra,! 12 # ( '' ' $ 4 4 1 4 4 " ! + ' non& vi" vam" 1ul2 4 1 tra, 74 " $%# * 1 1 " "2 '' " 4 4 4 4 1 " 1 1 1 " )8 vi" vam "ul 1 tra, sed de scen dam " $%# 4 1 4 4 " " " "2 ( ' " " 12 4 4 1 3 1 ' vi vam ul tra, " sed de scen

( ' '" " 3 " " 1 " # ' ' "ul2 1 " tra, sed de scen 1 dam" in1

( 3 '' ' " " " 1 + ' "ul " & & tra, sed de "scen 1 $%# 80 " " " " " * 6 '' # 1 " 1 " " 1 1 12 4 " 8 )8 in in fer 1 num" plo 4 1 1 rans. " " " " " 6 ( ' 1 1 " # 1 1 " 1 " 1 1 1 ' dam in in fer num plo 4 4 " rans.9 6 ( ' "2 '12 4 1 ! 8 ' ' in fer1 1 1 "num 1 plo ! rans. 6 ( ' ' # + ' ' "2 '! & dam" in1 in fer1 1 1 num" plo rans.7

Ábsalon fili mi, quis det ut móriar Absalom, my son, would that I had died pro te, fili mi, Ábsalon? instead of you, my son, Absalom! Non vivam ultra, sed descéndam in inférnum plorans. Ishalllivenomore,butgodownintohell,weeping.

[from 2 Samuel 18:33, Job 7:16, and Genesis 37:35]

The manuscript held in the British Library — believed to have been copied by the Netherlands court scribe Petrus Alamire — is the earliest known source of this work. Though it has long been attributed to Josquin, recentscholarshiphassuggesteditsauthorshipmoreappropriately belongs to his Franco-Flemish contemporary, Pierre de la Rue. This setting of David s lament certainly bears the hallmarks of Josquin s supreme mastery of and imitation, the most striking example of which is surely the vivid word painting of the final phrase, descending to hell through the circle of fifths to D-flat major and G-flat major (at original pitch). The use of five (let alone six!) flats is highly unusual in early 16th-century . Editorial Notes: This edition is set at the original pitch. The complex key signature has been retained, and the implied B flat in the key signature of each of the lower two parts has been restored without further editorial acknowledgement (all Bs in those parts are unmodified in the source). Otherwise, editorial accidentals are indicated above the note, with precautionary accidentals in parenthesis. Original note values are retained, thus — consistent with 16th-century convention —the& mensuration sign and its modern-equivalent ' time signature signify a semibreve tactus. Bar lines are added only to aid reading and direction: ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ beats implied by their position should never take precedence over phrasing or word stress. Ligaturesandcolorationinthesourceare acknowledged with overarching square brackets and open brackets respectively. Word underlay has been freely adjusted, given the ambiguity of the source: addition or reiteration of text not explicit in the source is indicated in italic.

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