One of the major composers of music for the Anglican church during the seventeenth century, Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656) was a master of the verse anthem, a form alternating sections for one or more soloists with full choral writing. However, When David Heard, one of Tomkins' masterpieces, falls into the category of full anthem. Scored in five parts (mean, or treble, two altos, tenor, and bass), it was published in Tomkins' Songs (1622), a volume that bears a dedication to his master, William Byrd. The text is the well-known story of David's grief at the death of his son Absalom as related in 2 Samuel 18:33. Tomkins' madrigalian setting falls into two sections, the first narrative, the second a profound exposition on the words "O my son Absalom, would God I had died for thee," the anguish building to the last searing outburst.

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