Tombeau

A memorial piece in the French tradition, lamenting the death of a named individual. Typically written as a slow, expressive allemande, often with an unusual modulatory range and improvisatory character that conveys grief and loss.

The tombeau was a distinctly French 17th-century genre, cultivated by lutenists before moving to the keyboard. Froberger's tombeaux are among the most emotionally direct music of the period — their expressive dissonances, unexpected harmonic turns, and carefully constructed melodic lines are intended to be 'read' as well as performed. The character should be deeply introspective and grieving.