This edition was prepared by James Crawford — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Asleep Choral Edition
Staff Notation • Secular, Art songs
Preview
0
0
Subscribed as
Want Sunday picks sent to another address too?
Free weekly email
Your choir should not be left out in what's trending
Sunday mass selections, psalms, and trending songs in your area — straight to your inbox.
Asleep Choral Edition by James Crawford — Lyrics
ASLEEPWilfred Owen
Under his helmet, up against his pack,
After so many days of work and waking,
Sleep took him by the brow and laid him back.
There, in the happy notime of his sleeping,
Death took him by the heart. There heaved a quaking
Of the aborted life within him leaping,
Then chest and sleepy arms once more fell slack.
And soon the slow, stray blood came creeping
From the intruding lead, like ants on track.
Read full lyrics
About Asleep Choral Edition
James Crawford's setting of Wilfred Owen's powerful poem Asleep is suitable for SATB choirs. This art song explores the profound contrast between the peace of sleep and the sudden intrusion of death. Owen's words paint a vivid picture of a soldier finding a moment's rest before a fatal end, with the music reflecting the journey from quiet slumber to an abrupt awakening by violence, and then the contemplation of a final, eternal rest. The composer captures the poem's poignant reflection on mortality and the soldier's fate, offering a deeply moving experience for both performers and listeners. This secular piece is ideal for services or concerts contemplating themes of peace, loss, and remembrance.
