This edition was prepared by Raymond Nagem — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
In the black dismal dungeon of despair, Z 190
Staff Notation • Sacred, Sacred 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.
Solo high · Raymond Nagem
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In the black dismal dungeon of despair, Z 190 by Henry Purcell — Lyrics
In the black dismal Dungeon of Despair,
Pin'd with tormenting Care;
Wrack'd with my Fears,
Drown'd in my Tears,
With dreadful expectation of my Doom,
And certain horrid Judgment soon to come:
Lord, here I lie,
Lost to all hope of Liberty,
Hence never to remove,
But by a Miracle of Love;
Which I scarce dare hope for, or expect,
Be'ng guilty of so long, so great neglect.
Fool that I was, worthy a sharper Rod,
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About In the black dismal dungeon of despair, Z 190
The music immediately plunges into the despair of its text, with a dramatic, declamatory opening. Purcell’s solo high voice setting captures the singer's inner torment and fear. The text describes a soul lost in sin, acknowledging their guilt and neglect of God’s grace, yet clinging to a desperate hope for redemption through Christ’s mercy, a plea powerfully conveyed through the poignant melody and harmonic shifts. This is a profound expression of penitence and the yearning for divine forgiveness, rendered with acute psychological insight.
