 The most common "planctus" is to mourn the death of a famous person, but a number of other varieties have been identified by Peter Dronke.The earliest known example, the "Planctus de obitu Karoli", was composed around 814, on the death of Charlemagne.Other "planctus" from the ninth century include vernacular laments in a woman's voice, Germanic songs of exile and journeying, and "planctus" on biblical or classical themes (like the Latin "Planctus cygni", which is possibly derived from Germanic models).