This edition was prepared by James Gibb — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
I must complaine, yet doe enioy
Staff Notation • Secular, Madrigals
Preview
0
0
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
Preview
Subscribed as
Want Sunday picks sent to another address too?
Free weekly email
Your choir should not be left out in what's trending
Sunday mass selections, psalms, and trending songs in your area — straight to your inbox.
I must complaine, yet doe enioy by John Dowland — Lyrics
I must complain, yet do enjoy, enjoy my love,
She is too fair, too rich in beauty's parts
Thence is my grief for nature while she strove
With all her graces and divinest arts,
To form her too, too beautiful of hue
She had no leisure, she had no leisure,
no leisure left to make her true.
Read full lyrics
About I must complaine, yet doe enioy
John Dowland's I must complaine, yet doe enioy is a secular English madrigal for SATB choir. The music captures the complex emotions of unrequited love, with interwoven vocal lines mirroring the singer's internal conflict. The text explores the paradox of loving someone whose beauty is so profound it causes grief, yet wishing for nothing less. Dowland masterfully uses the four voices to depict the singer's jealous thoughts and ultimate resolution, creating a rich polyphonic texture that is both intricate and expressive, a hallmark of Renaissance part-music.
