Ego dormio

General information

Source of text is Song of Solomon 5:2,5:6a,8:6a,4:7a & 4:3a.

Notes on selected settings

Anonymous SAA (all vv., with some minor reordering) Francesco Bianciardi SATB (v. 5.2, Latin) Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger B (demanding) + continuo

Leone Leoni SSAATTB (v. 5:2, including the non-Vulgate text) Giovanni Sansoni AA Heinrich Schütz SATB (v. 5:2 omitting vox dilecti…)

Settings by composers (automatically updated)

• Anonymous — Ego dormio  Latin SAA
• Francesco Bianciardi — Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat  Latin SATB
• Ignazio Donati — Ego dormio  Latin S
• Philipp Dulichius — Ego dormio  Latin SSATTBB
• Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger — Ego dormio  Latin B
• Jens Klimek — Ego dormio  Latin SSA
• Leone Leoni — Ego dormio  Latin SATB.SATB
• Claudio Monteverdi — Ego dormio  Latin SB
• Jacobus Clemens non Papa — Ego dormio  Latin SATTB
• Giovanni Sansoni — Ego dormio  Latin AA
• Heinrich Schütz — Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat, SWV 63  Latin SATB,STTB

Text and translations

Latin text 5:2  Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat: vox dilecti mei pulsantis, Aperi mihi, soror mea, [sponsa,] amica mea, columba mea, [formosa mea, speciosa mea,] immaculata mea. Quia caput meum plenum est rore, et cincinni mei guttis noctium. 5:6a  Aperui dilecto meo pessulum ostii mei [at ille totus desiderabilis clamans ad me] 8:6a  Pone me sicut signaculum super cor tuum…quia fortis est ut mors dilectio tua 4:7a  Tota pulchra es, amica mea 4:3a  Labia tua sicut vitta coccinea eloquium tuum dulce sicut fragmen mali punici. Bracketed words not in the Vulgate. German translation Translation by Peter Rottländer 5:2  Ich schlafe, aber mein Herz liegt wach. Öffne mir, meine Schwester, meine Taube, meine Makellose, denn mein Haupt ist voll Tau und meine Locken voller Tropfen der Nacht.

English translation 5:2  I sleep, and my heart watcheth: the voice of my beloved knocking: Open to me, my sister,[my spouse,] my love, my dove,[my beautiful, my fair one,] my undefiled: for my head is full of dew, and my locks of the drops of the nights. 5:6a  I opened the bolt of my door to my beloved: [and she called to me, who is all lovely.] 8:6a  Put me as a seal upon thy heart,… for love is strong as death 4:7a  Thou art all fair, O my love 4:3a  Thy lips are as a scarlet lace: and thy speech sweet as a piece of a pomegranate. Douai-Rheims version