This edition was prepared by James Gibb — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Dear, if you change
Staff Notation • Secular, Lute songs
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2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
SATB · Brian Russell
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Dear, if you change by John Dowland — Lyrics
1. Dear, if you change, I'll never choose again.
Sweet, if you shrink, I'll never think of love.
Fair, if you fail, I'll judge all beauty vain.
Wise, if too weak, more wits i'll never prove.
Dear, Sweet, Fair, Wise, change, shrink, nor be not weak:
and on my faith, my faith shall never break.
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About Dear, if you change
John Dowland's Dear, if you change is a poignant exploration of steadfast devotion. This arrangement for four-part choir (SATB) captures the intimate and rhetorical nature of the original lute song. The text, in English, presents a series of impossible scenarios – the earth adorning heaven, fire losing its heat, the air becoming black as hell – to emphasize the singer's unwavering faithfulness. The music mirrors this rhetorical intensity, with the voices weaving together to underscore the emotional weight of the lyrics. It is a secular piece that speaks directly to the heart, suitable for choirs looking to programme expressive Renaissance part-music.
