This edition was prepared by James Gibb — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Flow not so fast ye fountains
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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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, SSAAA · Brian Russell
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Flow not so fast ye fountains by John Dowland — Lyrics
Flow not so fast, ye fountains;
What needeth all this haste?
Swell not above your mountains,
Nor spend your time in waste.
Gentle springs, freshly your salt tears
Must still fall dropping from their spheres.
Weep they apace whom Reason
Or ling'ring Time can ease.
My sorrow can no Season,
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About Flow not so fast ye fountains
John Dowland's Flow not so fast ye fountains is a secular madrigal from the English Renaissance. The text laments the swift passage of time and the inability of nature's flow to match the composer's enduring sorrow. The singer is urged to slow down, as nature's tears are insufficient to ease a grief that time cannot appease. The piece is written for SATB and SSAAA voices, offering a rich and varied harmonic palette suitable for a skilled choir seeking challenging and expressive Renaissance part-music.
