How oft when thou, my music, music...

How oft when thou, my music, music play'st
Upon that blessed wood whose motion sounds
With thy sweet fingers, when thou gently sway'st
The wiry concord that mine ear confounds,
Do I envy those jacks that nimble leap
To kiss the tender inward of thy hand,
Whilst my poor lips, which should that harvest reap,
At the wood's boldness by thee blushing stand! 
To be so tickl'd, they would change their state
And situation with those dancing chips,
O'er whom thy fingers walk with gentle gait,
Making dead wood more bless'd than living lips. 
Since saucy jacks so happy are in this,
Give them thy fingers, me thy lips to kiss.

by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) , no title, from Sonnets, no. 128

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Juriaan Andriessen (1925-1996) , "How oft when thou, my music, music play'st", from Thy black is fairest, 3 Shakespeare-sonnets, no. 1.
by Lee Hoiby (1926-) , "Sonnet 128", 2004 [voice and piano], from Sonnets and Soliloquies, no. 3.
by David Evan Thomas (1958-) , "When thou, my music, music play'st", 2004. [medium voice, piano]

ITA Italian (Ferdinando Albeggiani)

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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