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

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