This edition was prepared by Allen Garvin — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
All as a sea
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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3 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
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All as a sea by William Byrd — Lyrics
Al as a Sea, the world no other is,
our selves are ships still tossed to & fro,
and loe, each man, his love to that or this,
is like a storme, that drives the ship to goe,
that thus our life in doubt of shipwrack stands,
our wils the rocks, our want of skill the sands.
Our passions be Pirates still that spoyle,
and overboard cast’s out our reasons fraight:
the Marriners that day and night doe toyle,
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About All as a sea
William Byrd’s All as a sea is a striking example of English secular part-music for SATTB voices. The composer uses the extended metaphor of life as a perilous sea voyage to explore human frailty. Our selves are ships tossed to and fro, our wills the rocks, our want of skill the sands, as the text declares. Passions are pirates, and desire for worldly goods like profit and fame are depicted as treacherous currents. Byrd’s intricate vocal writing vividly portrays these turbulent images, with the rich five-part texture providing a compelling backdrop for the dramatic narrative. This madrigal-style setting underscores the existential uncertainty described in the compelling English text.
