My soul is dark ‑ Oh! quickly string

My soul is dark - Oh! quickly string
  The harp I yet can brook to hear;
And let thy gentle fingers fling
  Its melting murmurs o'er mine ear. --
If in this heart a hope be dear,
  That sound shall charm it forth again --
If in these eyes there lurk a tear, 
  'Twill flow -- and cease to burn my brain --

But bid the strain be wild and deep,
  Nor let thy notes of joy be first:
I tell thee -- Minstrel! I must weep,
  Or else this heavy heart will burst --
For it hath been by sorrow nurst,
  And ached in sleepless silence [long]1 --
And now 'tis doom'd to know the worst,
  And break at once -- or yield to song.

by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788-1824) , "My soul is dark", from Hebrew Melodies, no. 9, adaptation of I Samuel 16:14-23, published 1815

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

by Alfred Alexander (1844-?) , "My soul is dark", published 1871. [voice and piano]
by Jan van Amerongen (1938-) , "My soul is dark", from Thompson-liederen, no. 2.
by L. G. Barbour , "My soul is dark", published 1864. [voice and piano]
by Charles Auguste de Beriot (1802-1870) , "My soul is dark", <<1970 [voice and piano], Gooch and Thatcher catalog indicates this as unverified
by Samuel Bugatch , "My soul is dark", published 1943 [baritone and orchestra], from Judea, with Yiddish version by M. Frelicoff
by Noble Cain (1896-1977) , "The harp", published 1951. [SSAATTBB a cappella]
by Thomas Case , "My soul is dark", published 1918 [high voice and piano], from Twelve Songs
by T. Davenport Chatterton , "My soul is dark", published 1869. [voice and piano or harp]
by Thomas Childs , "My soul is dark", published 1860. [high voice and piano]
by H. J. Coldwell (fl. 1875) , "My soul is dark", published 1875. [alto and piano]
by David Leo Diamond (1915-2005) , "My soul is dark", published 1969 [voice and piano], from Hebrew melodies, no. 1.
by John Lodge Ellerton (1801-1873) , no title, 1823. [voice and piano]
by William Wallace Gilchrist (1846-1916) , "My soul is dark", published 1891. [voice and piano]
by Arthur H. Gutman , "My soul is dark", published 1940. [voice and piano]
by J. Valentine Hall , "My soul is dark", published 1897. [voice and piano]
by James Nary , "My soul is dark", published 1876 [voice and piano], from Lord Byron's Hebrew Melodies, no. ?
by Isaac Nathan (1790-1864) , "My soul is dark", published 1815 [voice and piano], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 9.
by Samuel Harold Oakley , "My soul is dark", published 1902. [tenor or soprano and piano]
by C. E. Phillips , "My soul is dark", published 1828. [soprano and piano]
by G. Pigott , "Canzonet III", published 1827 [high voice and piano], from Three Canzonets, the words from Byron's Hebrew Melodies
by Bryceson Treharne (1879-1948) , "My soul is dark", published 1921 [voice and piano], from Ten dramatic and descriptive songs
by Thomas Van Dyke Wiesenthal (1790-1833) , "My soul is dark", published 1824, copyright © 1824. [voice and piano]

by Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev (1837-1910) , "Jevrejskaja Melodija", 1859. [voice and piano]
by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829-1894) , "Dusha moja mrachna", op. 78 (Zwölf Lieder aus dem Russischen von W. Osterwald (Twelve Russian Songs)) no. 1 (<<1894), published 1868. [voice and piano], also set in German

by Jacob Deichmann Dahl , "Min Sjæl er mørk" [voice and piano], from 2 Sange, no. ?
by Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) , "Min Sjæl er mørk", 1887. [voice and piano]

by Hugo Brückler (1845-1871) , "Mein Geist ist trüb", <<1871 [voice and piano], from 8 Gesänge
by Jan Karol Gall (1856-1912) , "Mein Geist ist trüb", op. 30 (12 hebräische Originalmelodien) no. ? [voice and piano]
by Carl Georg Peter Grädener (1812-1883) , "Mein Geist ist trüb", op. 15 (Hebräische Gesänge) no. ? [two female voices and piano]
by M. Henle , "Mein Geist ist trüb", op. 4 no. 4, published 1897 [voice and piano], from Hebräische Gesänge nach jüdischen Melodien, no. 4.
by Johann Karl Gottfried Loewe (1796-1869) , "Mein Geist ist trüb", op. 5 no. 5.

by Robert Alexander Schumann (1810-1856) , "Mein Herz ist schwer", subtitle: "Aus den hebräischen Gesängen", op. 25 no. 15 (1840), from Myrten, no. 15.

by Eugène Des Aubiez , "My soul is dark" [voice, guitar, and piano], note: the title is in English but the text is in French only

by Susanna Heiberg , "Eg hugsjuk er" [voice and piano]

by Georg Schumann (1866-1952) , "Ein graues Dunkel", published 1895. [voice and piano]

by Oskar Viktor Zack (1882-1963) , "Erlöste Tränen", published 1926. [men's chorus a cappella]

by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829-1894) , "Hebräische Melodie", op. 78 (Zwölf Lieder aus dem Russischen von W. Osterwald (Twelve Russian Songs)) no. 1 (c1867), published 1868 [voice and piano], Leipzig, Senff, also set in Russian

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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Mein Geist ist trüb

Mein Geist ist trüb', den Ton der Saiten,
  Den jetzt mein wildes Herz erträgt,
Laß ihn in meine Ohren gleiten,
  Von deiner Finger Kunst erregt.
Wenn einen Wunsch mein Herz gepflegt,
  In diesem Ton wird Hoffnung blühen,
Die Träne, die das Auge hegt,
  Wird fließen, statt im Hirn zu glühen.

Doch wild und tief mußt du beginnen,
  Mit keinem Ton, der freudig klingt.
In Thränen muß mir das zerrinnen,
  Wovon [das Herz]1 mir sonst zerspringt.
Denn daß es sich zum Schweigen zwingt,
  Sich nur von Kummer nährt, ist lange;
Und jetzt, wo es so schrecklich ringt,
  Jetzt brich es, oder schmilzt in Klange.

by Franz Theremin (1780-1846) , "Mein Geist ist trüb'", from Hebräische Gesänge, published 1820

a text in English by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788-1824) , "My soul is dark", from Hebrew Melodies, no. 9, adaptation of I Samuel 16:14-23, published 1815 RUS

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

by Hugo Brückler (1845-1871) , "Mein Geist ist trüb", <<1871 [voice and piano], from 8 Gesänge
by Jan Karol Gall (1856-1912) , "Mein Geist ist trüb", op. 30 (12 hebräische Originalmelodien) no. ? [voice and piano]
by Carl Georg Peter Grädener (1812-1883) , "Mein Geist ist trüb", op. 15 (Hebräische Gesänge) no. ? [two female voices and piano]
by M. Henle , "Mein Geist ist trüb", op. 4 no. 4, published 1897 [voice and piano], from Hebräische Gesänge nach jüdischen Melodien, no. 4.
by Johann Karl Gottfried Loewe (1796-1869) , "Mein Geist ist trüb", op. 5 no. 5.

Date added to the website: 2003-11-13.