Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"Come Sunday" is a sacred jazz composition by Duke Ellington, written in 1943 as part of the first movement of his extended suite Black, Brown and Beige. The suite premiered at Carnegie Hall on January 23, 1943, as a musical chronicle of the African American experience.

The piece evokes the spirit and emotional depth of Black spirituals through a supremely tender, hymn-like melody that unfolds at a slow, contemplative pace. Originally scored as a feature for alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, the melody's soaring, vocal quality made it an immediate standout. The form is relatively simple—the emphasis falls not on harmonic complexity but on the expressiveness and tonal beauty that the performer brings to the theme. In 1958, Ellington added lyrics and recorded a vocal version with gospel legend Mahalia Jackson, which greatly expanded the piece's audience and cemented its place as one of Ellington's most beloved compositions.

The two essential recordings are the 1943 Carnegie Hall live performance featuring Johnny Hodges on alto saxophone, and the 1958 studio version on the album Black, Brown and Beige with Mahalia Jackson's transcendent vocal. Ellington also performed the piece prominently in his Sacred Concerts (1965–1973), which he called "the most important thing I have ever done."