Lying midway between oratorio and opera, this "Tragedy in Music in Five Acts and a Prologue" has links to the Jesuits, who rewarded Charpentier's deep faith and consummate musical talent by appointing him as their official composer. The Theater of the Jesuits was active throughout the seventeenth century, and David and Jonathan is notable as its only surviving complete opus.

David and Jonathan is as much a political tract as a human tragedy, for it carried overtones of topical conflicts that involved the major personalities of the time. Jesuit Father François Bretonneau wrote the libretto with the intention of presenting the doctrine of obedience to God and to His representative, the King. While the origin of the story is biblical, the narrative is an allegory of contemporary events in France. Essentially, the message that Charpentier and his librettist wanted to convey is that while a monarch cannot be judged by his subjects, he nevertheless must answer to God.

Musically, David and Jonathan is original in its concept and language, and it departs, significantly, from the official model of French court opera. The work emphasizes psychological and personal aspects of the characters (all of whom would have been interpreted by male voices). Each act focuses on a single character, spotlighting the humanity and intimacy of the drama. The main themes of love, duty, and obedience are wonderfully expressed throughout by Charpentier's masterful use tonality and tone color, as well as by his unique ability to illuminate the Latin text with the most telling emotion.

The Prologue quickly goes to the crux of the matter and foreshadows the outcome. Each act opens with an instrumental piece followed by a character's self-exposition offered in the form of an arioso. A meticulously structured work, in which an aura of predictability reinforces the idea of an unavoidable destiny, David and Jonathan is a powerful composition of extraordinary psychological and spiritual depth. Act One features David. Act Two belongs to the traitor, Joabel. Act Three presents King Saul's emotional turmoil, culminating in his mad scene and revolt. Jonathan expounds his love and his dilemma of love versus duty in Act Four. The structure of each act is identical, beginning with an instrumental piece and concluding with dance music: the first act begins with a triumphal march and ends with a minuet, and the other acts are framed by similar pairs: prelude - chaconne, sinfonia - gigue, and prelude - rigaudon plus bourée.

Inspired by the problematic dialogue of religion and politics, this remarkable composition stands as a glorious testament to the Church, one of Charpentier's greatest loves.

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