Lyr/Tune Req: Couldst Thou But Know (Michael Balfe

Subject: Couldst Thou But Know by Michael Balfe
From:
Date: 09 Nov 96 - 10:20 PM

Hello! I'm looking for the words and music to Couldst Thou But Know, by Michael William Balfe (1808-1870.) Can anyone help me? Thanks,

Pamela

Subject: RE: Couldst Thou But Know by Michael Balfe
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 21 May 04 - 09:44 PM

Pamela, try PM'ing WISIWYG--her knowledge of where to find hymns on the Internet is fairly well advanced.

Sorry I can't find any info on the song.

Lin

Subject: RE: Couldst Thou But Know by Michael Balfe
From: Amos
Date: 21 May 04 - 09:56 PM

These people will sell you a reprint of the vocal score for less than $10.00:

Classical Vocal Reprints
3253 Cambridge Ave.
Riverdale, New York 10463
Telephone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Call us toll-free at: 1-800-298-7474
Visit us online at www.classicalvocalrep.com

I found no listing of lyrics for it on the web, sorry.

A

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Couldst Thou But Know (Michael Balfe
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 23 May 11 - 07:25 PM

I found 2 sources for COULDST THOU BUT KNOW:

Famous Songs, Volume 3, edited by Henry Edward Krehbiel (Cincinnati: John Church Company, 1902), page 10, has an arrangement for one voice and piano. It has one verse in French, beginning "Veux tu mon nom?" and a verse in English, beginning "O wilt thou share an honored name...?" The title is given as SI TU SAVAIS (COULDST THOU BUT KNOW).

Gems of Foreign Song (Boston: White, Smith & Company, 1881), page 120, has the French words plus English words by J. C. D. Parker, beginning with "Wouldst have my name? It is for thee."

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Couldst Thou But Know (Michael Balfe
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 24 May 11 - 01:53 AM

Since the original request was made in 1996, I feel that I can safely make a remark without hurting Pamela's feelings.

Remember when I started a thread about English lyrics with many consonants in a row? It had to do with a Chinese friend and with preparing hymns for people who cannot read well.

Surely 'couldst thou' with its dst-th is notable in this respect. Not to mention that the vowel sound in 'could' is not our most straightforward, either.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Couldst Thou But Know (Michael Balfe
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 May 11 - 01:09 PM

When a word has "silent" consonants, it's usually (always?) an indication that sometime in the past, the consonant was pronounced. In other words, English was once spelled phonetically, and in some cases, we kept the old spelling and changed the pronunciation.

I suppose that applies to the L in "could" and "would".

Try getting your tongue around that.

I have seen some old song texts that used the spelling "cou'd" and "wou'd"—to remind people, I suppose, that they weren't supposed to pronounce the L.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Couldst Thou But Know (Michael Balfe
From: ripov
Date: 24 May 11 - 02:33 PM

it's (or "it is") a bit of a tongue twister to say, or sing, but in full it's "couldest", but I think normally got shortened, as most words do, in everyday speech, innit?

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Couldst Thou But Know (Michael Balfe
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 25 May 11 - 06:48 AM

"Would" comes from "will", both forms being very ancient indeed. "Can" is Germanic only, but ancient enough; its past tense should be spelled "cound" (as in German "konnte" or Dutch "we konden"). Maybe this spelling was considered too close to some four-letter word, or, more likely, was absorbed by the magnetism of "would" and "should".

But I cound google

8 tricks I cound never do before I got my Fullthrottle Dual Caliper Handbrake

Coundn't be cuter.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Couldst Thou But Know (Michael Balfe
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 25 May 11 - 11:24 AM

Some silent letters were put into English because the first printers were not English speakers and they were making things up. The h in 'when' and the h in 'ghost', for example.

Jack, it's a good question where the l in 'could' came from.

The k in 'knight' is an example of what Jack's talking about. I'm pretty sure the word used to be pronounced ka-nicht.

Meanwhile, I believe that if I were singing 'Couldst Thou but Know' by Michael Balfe, I would folk process it to 'Could You but Know.'

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Couldst Thou But Know (Michael Balfe
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 25 May 11 - 04:59 PM

leeneia, may I ask who is Jack? (Are we playing "You don't know Jack"?)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Couldst Thou But Know (Michael Balfe
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 26 May 11 - 09:33 AM

oops. Not Jack. Jim.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Couldst Thou But Know (Michael Balfe
From: GUEST,David Innes
Date: 30 May 11 - 06:02 PM

Jim,

This may seem a strange question but when searching for the lyrics of a Rab Noakes song your name came up on Mudcat.

Are you the Jim Dixon who was a reporter with the Irvine Times in the 70s?

D

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Couldst Thou But Know (Michael Balfe
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 May 11 - 01:39 AM

No.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Couldst Thou But Know (Michael Balfe
From: GUEST,999
Date: 08 Sep 12 - 06:43 PM

Click here

One page of sheet music viewable at that site.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Couldst Thou But Know (Michael Balfe
From: GUEST,#
Date: 25 Mar 21 - 03:21 PM

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015096660819&view=1up&seq=1

I think that's the piece the OP was searching for. Sure hope so.

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015096660819&view=1up&seq=1