Art Song Central

Title: Can she excuse my wrongs?

Music: John Dowland (1563-1626)

Text: possibly John Dowland (1563-1626)

Free at Art Song Central:

• PDF file: Can she excuse my wrongs?
• Key: D Minor (Even though the key signature has no accidentals)
• Range: D4 – D5
• Source: The First Book of Airs, Part I
• Note: This edition includes lute tabulature as well as a piano transcription.

Elsewhere on the Internet:

• Not yet.

Mp3:

• The accompaniment can be heard on Guitar thanks to Jon Sayles

MIDI:

• Not yet.

Can she excuse my wrongs with Virtue’s cloak?
Shall I call her good when she proves unkind?
Are those clear fires which vanish into smoke?
Must I praise the leaves where no fruit I find?
No, no; where shadows do for bodies stand,
That may’st be abus’d if thy sight be dim.

Cold love is like to words written on sand,
Or to bubbles which on the water swim.
Wilt thou be thus abused still,
Seeing that she will right thee never?
If thou canst not o’ercome her will,
Thy love will be thus fruitless ever.

Was I so base, that I might not aspire
Unto those high joys which she holds from me?
As they are high, so high is my desire,
If she this deny, what can granted be?
If she will yield to that which reason is,
It is reason’s will that love should be just.

Dear, make me happy still by granting this,
Or cut off delays if that I die must.
Better a thousand times to die
Than for to love thus still tormented:
Dear, but remember it was I
Who for thy sake did die contented.

• Recmusic.org has the text.

Title: An Old Song Re-sung

Music: Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884-1920)

Text: John Masefield (1878-1967)

Free at Art Song Central (PDF files):

• Not yet.

Elsewhere on the Internet:

• PDF available at the Internet Archive: An Old Song Re-sung
• Key: A♭ Major
• Range: E♭4 – F5
• Also available in djvu format, and as images via FTP.

Mp3:

• Not yet.

MIDI:

• Not yet.

I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing, a-sailing,
With emeralds and rubies and sapphires in her hold;
And a bosun in a blue coat bawling at the railing,
Piping a silver call that had a chain of gold;
The summer wind was failing and the tall ship rolled.

I saw a ship a-steering, a-steering, a-steering,
With roses in red thread worked upon her sails;
With sacks of purple amethysts, the spoils of buccaneering,
Skins of musky yellow wine, and silks in bales,
Her merry men were cheering, hauling on the brails.

I saw a ship a-sinking, a-sinking, a-sinking,
With glittering sea-water splashing on her decks,
With seamen in her spirit-room singing songs and drinking,
Pulling claret bottles down, and knocking off the necks,
The broken glass was chinking as she sank among the wrecks.

• Recmusic.org has the poem.

Title: I am like a Remnant of a Cloud of Autumn from Gitanjali

Music: John Alden Carpenter (1876-1951)

Text: Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

Free at Art Song Central (PDF files):

• I am like a Remnant of a Cloud of Autumn
• Key: B♭ Minor
• Range: B♭3 – F5

Elsewhere on the Internet:

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Mp3:

• Not yet.

MIDI:

• Not yet.

I am like a remnant of a cloud of autumn uselessly roaming in the sky, O my sun ever-glorious! Thy touch has not yet melted my vapour, making me one with thy light, and thus I count months and years separated from thee.

If this be thy wish and if this be thy play, then take this fleeting emptiness of mine, paint it with colours, gild it with gold, float it on the wanton wind and spread it in varied wonders.

And again, when it shall be thy wish to end this play at night, I shall melt and vanish away in the dark, or it may be in a smile of the white morning, in a coolness of purity transparent.

• Recmusic.org has the texts for this song cycle.

Title: Slumber My Darling

Music: Stephen Foster (1826-1864)

Text: Stephen Foster (1826-1864)

Free at Art Song Central:

• Not yet.

Elsewhere on the Internet:

• Transcribed at Mutopia: Slumber My Darling
• Key: PDF available in E♭ Major
• Range: E♭4 – E♭5
• Lilypond source file also available to edit or transpose.

Mp3:

• Not yet.

MIDI:

• Available at Mutopia: Slumber My Darling

Slumber, my darling, thy mother is near,
Guarding thy dreams from all terror and fear,
Sunlight has pass’d and the twilight has gone,
Slumber, my darling, the night’s coming on.

Sweet visions attend thy sleep,
Fondest, dearest to me,
While others their revels keep,
I will watch over thee.

Slumber, my darling, the birds are at rest,
The wandering dews by the flow’rs are caressed,
Slumber, my darling, I’ll wrap thee up warm,
And pray that the angels will shield thee from harm.

Slumber, my darling, till morn’s blushing ray
Brings to the world the glad tidings of day;
Fill the dark void with thy dreamy delight–
Slumber, thy mother will guard thee tonight,

Thy pillow shall sacred be
From all outward alarms;
Thou, thou are the world to me
In thine innocent charms.

Slumber, my darling, the birds are at rest,
The wandering dews by the flow’rs are caressed,
Slumber, my darling, I’ll wrap thee up warm,
And pray that the angels will shield thee from harm.

• Not yet.

Title: Antiphon (from Five Mystical Songs)

Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Text: George Herbert (1593-1633)

Free at Art Song Central (PDF files):

• Antiphon
• Key: D Major
• Range: E♭4 – G5
• Source: Five Mystical Songs

Elsewhere on the Internet:

• Not yet.

Mp3:

• Not yet.

MIDI:

• Not yet.

Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!

The heavens are not too high,
His praise may thither fly:
The earth is not too low,
His praises there may grow.

Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!

The church with Psalms must shout.
No door can keep them out:
But above all, the heart
Must bear the longest part.

Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!

• Recmusic.org has texts for this song cycle.

Title: Love bade me welcome (from Five Mystical Songs)

Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Text: George Herbert (1593-1633)

Free at Art Song Central (PDF files):

• Love bade me welcome
• Key: E Minor
• Range: D4 – F5
• Source: Five Mystical Songs

Elsewhere on the Internet:

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Mp3:

• Not yet.

MIDI:

• Not yet.

Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eye’d Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
If I lack’d anything.

A guest, I answer’d, worthy to be here:
Love said, You shall be he.
I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on thee.
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
Who made the eyes but I?

Truth, Lord, but I have marr’d them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?
My dear, then I will serve.
You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat:
So I did sit and eat.

• Recmusic.org has texts for this song cycle.