Say, Love if Ever Thou Didst Find [Say loue if euer thou didst finde...] is a 4-verse ode to Queen Elizabeth I of England by
John Dowland first printed in his
The Third and Last Booke of Songs or Aires(1603).
I had the unexpected joy of singing the bass part of an arrangement by Barbara Heuschober when auditioning to join a
small mixed Bremen group [Christian, Henner, Maja, Marlene] after my time in the
Collegium Musicum Bremen. It was amongst 15 other SATB quartet pieces they put before me.
The sheet placed in my hand was a photo copy titled simply
94. Say, Love. I loved the alternations "She, she, she, she" between the soprano and other voices in bars 11 and 12. In this arrangement only the 1st and 4th verses are sung. Optional German verses are given. I have not been able to locate the arrangement's source and have therefor listed it in
Geoff's Choral Odds and Ends..
It may be the same source for
Come away, come, sweet love.