Three Blake Songs (1992)

Treble Chorus and Orff Instrumentarium (or Piano) – 9 mins.

[rec. / cch. / 5perc.]

Audio

Scores

The Lamb (Perusal Only) – Purchase from Boosey & Hawkes

The Tyger (Perusal Only) – Purchase from Boosey & Hawkes

The Divine Image (Perusal Only) – Purchase from Boosey & Hawkes

Program Note

The poetry of William Blake (1757-1827), thought by most of his contemporaries to be the work of a “lunatic,” has become some of the best known and loved lyric poetry in the English language. Blake, who made his living as an illustrator and printer, presented his poetry in “illuminated printing” — prints from engraved poems and ilustrations that were hand-colored. Blake believed that the path to eternal truth is “imagination heightened to vision.” The clarity and power of his personal visions and symbols have over time proved effective in leading toward his goal of “liberating the human spirit for free expression and development.”

Three Blake Songs is written to poems from Blake’s Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794). Since the accompaniment was designed for Orff Instrumentarium, all three songs are diatonic, patterned, and direct, but the composer has sought to “illuminate” with instrumental color, vocal phrasing and rhythmic characterization the particular “vision” of each of the poems: the naive gentleness of The Lamb, the fiery terrific wonder of The Tyger, and the peaceful, universal humanity of The Divine Image.

1. THE LAMB (Songs of Innocence)

Little Lamb who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee
Gave thee life & bid thee feed
By the stream and o’er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing wooly bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
making all the vales rejoice:
Little Lamb who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee

Little Lamb I’ll tell thee,
Little Lamb I’ll tell thee.
He is called by thy name,
For he calls himself a Lamb:
He is meek & he is mild,
he became a little child:
I a child & thou a lamb,
We are called by his name his name.
Little Lamb God bless thee,
Little Lamb God bless thee.

2. THE TYGER (Songs of Experience)

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies,
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears
And water’d heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

3. THE DIVINE IMAGE (Songs of Innocence)

To Mercy Pity Peace and Love,
All pray in their distress:
And to these virtues of delight
Return their thankfulness.

For Mercy Pity Peace and Love,
Is God our father dear:
And Mercy Pity Peace and Love,
Is Man his child and care.

For Mercy has a human heart
Pity, a human face:
And Love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.

Then ev’ry man of ev’ry clime,
That prays in his distress,
Prays to the human form divine
Love Mercy Pity Peace.

And all must love the human form,
From old worlds to the new,*
Where Mercy, Love & Pity dwell,
There God is dwelling too.

*This is a paraphrase of Blake’s original line:
“In heathen, turk, or jew.”