William Blake (1757-1827), renowned and enigmatic English poet, engraved the "Songs of Innocence" with his own illustrations in 1789. Born in Soho, London; he enjoyed a happy childhood, but his adult life was beset with difficulties and poverty.
Ginger writes:
These musical settings blend the familiar language of British Isles folk music with a more formal style of art song. They grew out of two concepts: a love for the clarity of William Blake's vision and a respect for the simple elegance of folk music. I wanted to write songs somewhere between O Danny Boy and art song, music grounded in the earth with an eye toward the sky. The interval of a perfect fifth is used as a unifying compositional device.
I had in mind three scenes (from Blake's time) while writing:
The Piper depicts a poet striding through an expansive meadow. He is playing a bagpipe. After hearing the voice of a cherub in the air, he rests next to a stream to write his poems. See & Hear
Nurse's Song is in the voice of a traveling minstrel; she plays the harp and sings a story of happy children while remembering her own melancholy childhood. See & Hear
For Spring I imagined street musicians entertaining a small crowd of onlookers who are celebrating the joy of another spring season See & Hear
Performances
District 279 Chorus Ann Wingert-Williams and Diane Nielsen, conductors
Piano accompaniment by Julie Bright
Performed at the National Association for Music Education
National Conference, 2004
Recording available here
Blake School Middle School Choir Greg Larsen, conductor
Nancy Cox, Soprano, piano accompaniment by Gail Olszewski
Tom Speckard, Tenor, piano accompaniment by the composer
If you or your group would like to perform "Three Blake Songs",
sheet music is available for purchase. Contact Ginger.
