This edition was prepared by Andreas Stenberg — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
I know not what
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
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I know not what by Robert Jones — Lyrics
1. I know not what, yet that I feele is much,
It came I know not when, it was not euer,
Yet hurtes I know not how, yet is it such,
As I am pleasd though it be cured neuer,
It is a wound that wasteth still in woe,
And yet I would not, that it were not so.
2. Pleasde with a thought that endeth with a sigh,
Sometimes I smile when teares stand in my eyes,
Yet then and there such sweet contentment lieth,
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About I know not what
A captivating example of English secular part-music from the late Renaissance, Robert Jones's I know not what is set for SATB choir. The text explores the paradoxical nature of love, describing a painful yet strangely welcome wound. The singer finds pleasure even in sorrow, a sweet contentment in torment. This madrigal captures the complex emotions of unrequited or bewildering affection, a favourite theme of the period. It would suit a concert programme focusing on the madrigal tradition or Elizabethan song, offering a thoughtful reflection on the ambiguities of the heart.
