Giovanni Croce
(c.1557 - 1609)

Croce : Shew mercy Lord on me : illustration

Shew mercy Lord on me
(S.S.A.T.T.B.)
Full score (PDF), €0.00 for unlimited copies   Download this item
Printable cover page (PDF), €0.00 for unlimited copies   Download this item

If you have any problem obtaining a PDF, please see our help page. If that does not resolve the issue, please click here.
Page 1 of 12
Creative Commons Licence
This work, Croce : Shew mercy Lord on me : scoreid 143049, as published by notAmos Performing Editions, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. All relevant attributions should state its URL as https://www.notamos.co.uk/detail.php?scoreid=143049. Permissions beyond the scope of this licence may be available at https://www.notamos.co.uk/index.php?sheet=about.
Croce's Sette sonetti penitentiali were first published in 1597. They arrived in England a decade later as "Musica Sacra: to Six Voyces. Composed in the Italian tongue by GIOVANNI CROCE. Newly Englished. In London Printed by Thomas Este, the assigne of William Barley. 1608."
Lyrics: Psalm 51, paraphrased in sonnet by Francesco Bembo, english'd by R.H.

Shew mercy Lord on me most heinous sinner,
And mortify my sin so grievous guilty;
O cleanse me from it, purify me filthy;
For in thy sight Lord I am only sinner.
In sin (thou know'st) my sinful mother bore me:
But O thou guide unto the heav'nly city,
Wash, wash my soul in laver of thy pity,
So shall no snow in whiteness go before me,
Give me a clean heart, an untainted spirit;
And of thy grace and face bereave me never;
So shall I more adore thy name and fear it,
And to thy service more and more endeavour;
Sith broken hearts (as doth thy voice aver it)
Are th'only sacrifice thou joy'st in ever.