(CM101: 45 cues) MM175-7 has performance suggestions. Of the many *alarms indicated in the stage directions in Act V, these could be played as confused noises of drums, trumpets, and clashing of armour (MM176). (BR15) Thomas Platter visiting England in 1599 admired the extreme elegance of the dancing at the end of the play. FU p.46 quotes Theobold (1726) and Coleridge (1874) on Cassius’ feeling for music.
| act | scene | line | Click here to find out more about suggested song | |
| I | i | 0; 32 | MM175: {distant flourish}; {another flourish here coming closer} | |
| ii | LH99, 276-80: describes the music stage directions including sennets played on trumpets, sackbuts and cornetts | |||
| 0-2 | {*Loud music} Enter… in {solemn} *procession, with music, | 112 (219b) | ||
| (LH98) resplendent ceremonial *march; (B246) wind instruments in florid march | ||||
| 2 | {Music ceases} | |||
| 13 | [leave no ceremony out]. {Music} [*Sennet] and the procession moves | |||
| 16 | [Bid every noise be still. Peace yet again!] Music ceases. | |||
| 18; 26 | [I hear a tongue shriller than all the music, Cry ‘Caesar!’]; Sennet | |||
| 80; 133 | *Flourish and shout within | |||
| 189 | {Music} (B247) Sennet (implied) | |||
| 204-9 | [He loves no plays,…he hears no music. Seldom he smiles…never at heart’s ease] | |||
| 215 | *Sennet (B247) (music for sennet implied) | |||
| iii | 0 | Thunder and lightening. (B247) drums | ||
| II | ii | 0 | Thunder and lightening. | |
| III | i | 0 | Flourish | |
| ii | 40 | Enter …with …body (B241-2) *dead march on muffled drums and tolling bell | ||
| IV | ii | 0 | Drum . Enter Brutus…and the army… (B247) a drum march | |
| 30-31 | Low march within. Enter Cassius and his powers …march gently on to meet him (B247) another drum march | |||
| 291, 307-8 | [Where is thy instrument? …Canst thou hold up thy heavy eyes awhile, And touch thy instrument a *strain or two?/ Ay, my lord, an’t please you.] | |||
| 317 | Lucius plays music and sings a song and so falls asleep. No song text given | 115 | ||
| {NS251 Folio may be later interpolation}. S21 for this ‘blank song’ ant sleepy tune will do . LH102 suggests no song actually sung as the boy had fallen asleep while tuning his instrument. Nevertheless a number of possible songs have been suggested. MM176: suggests psaltery, dulcimer or harp as appropriate instrument to avoid anachronism. W10 lute | ||||
| a) (NS251/ GPs i 130/ GPd ii 409-10)/ S80-1, 93: DOWLAND lute song ‘Weep you no more sad fountains’ St19/ EL LS3 (i 10-11): 15/ Df 36/ PM ii 20/ FL iii 4/ GR128- 130/ PE94-5; fEF17; ۞ Aw ii 7/ ۞ CmD iii 15/ ۞Ge27; SATB in MB vi/ S&B B334 | ||||
| b) (MM175-7) street ballad ‘Titus Andronicus complaint’ [text in K20-1] to tune *‘Fortune my foe’ (‘The Hanging tune’) see SB p225-230. | (182) | |||
| c) CU20/ LH103: Robert JOHNSON attrib. 1611 ‘Care charminge sleepe ye easer of all woes’ lute song: EL LS12 (ii 17):15/ Jb16/ G125; ۞BaS21/ ۞Ec20 /۞KyJ 16/ ۞MsE i 8 / ۞PaH8/ ۞U2/ ۞WS 18 | ||||
| d) (GPc iii 250-1/ Dover Wilson) BARTLET ‘Orpheus with his lute made trees’ | (106a) | |||
| e) CM103: 1608 JONES ‘Go to bed sweet muse’ +rSATB + g/k; lute song EL ii 6: 3/ PM ii 27/ WA i 21/ GR172-3 | ||||
| f) (B247) ‘O death rock me asleep’ | (56a) | |||
| g) (DLC) DOWLAND ‘Come heavy sleep’, lute song EL LS 1: 20/ Df 17; GR 102-4; fEF14; ۞BreE16/ ۞CmD i 20; voice + g NR46 | ||||
| h) (DLC) JOHNSON ‘Come heavy sleep’, lute song EL LS 12 (ii 17): 2/ Jb15; ۞KyJ 15/ ۞WS23; voice + g NR52 | ||||
| 318-323 | [This is a sleepy tune. O murd’rous slumber, Lay’st thou thy leaden mace upon my boy That plays thee music? – Gentle knave, good night… If thou dost nod thou break’st Thy instrument; I’ll take it from thee, and, good boy, good night.] He takes away Lucius’ instrument CDw 79 The potential of dramatic music here exploited by Shakespeare. | |||
| 325 | Enter the Ghost of Caesar. (B247) *supernatural music | |||
| 342-3 | [The strings, my lord, are false./ He thinks he still is at his instrument.– Lucius awake!] OS207 presumably a lute | |||
| V | i | 20 | Drum within. Enter, marching | |
| ii | 0; 2 | Alarum; Loud alarums | ||
| iii | 0; 89; 94 | Alarums; Alarum; Low Alarums | ||
| iv | 0 | Alarum | ||
| v | 23; 29; 42; 51 | Low alarums; Alarum still; Alarum; Alarum. Retreat |