This edition was prepared by Sabine Cassola — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Come heavy sleep
Staff Notation • Secular, Lute songs
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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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Come heavy sleep by John Dowland — Lyrics
1. Come heavy sleep, the image of true death;
and close up these my weary weeping eies:
Whose spring of tears doth stop my vitall breath,
and tears my hart with sorrows sign swoln cries:
Com and possess my tired thoughts, worne soule,
That living dies, till thou on me be stoule.
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About Come heavy sleep
John Dowland, a master of the English lute song, captured the melancholic spirit of his age. This SATB arrangement of Come heavy sleep, originally a solo song, retains the intense introspection of the text. The words express a desperate plea for slumber, personified as 'the image of true death,' a welcome release from a life of sorrow and 'waking fancies.' The composer responds to the poignancy of the lyrics with music that mirrors the weariness and profound sadness, creating a powerful expression of inner turmoil. The original secular song tradition, often accompanied by lute, is here adapted for voices, allowing the rich harmonies to further explore the emotional landscape of the text.
