Songs of Innocence and of Experience

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Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul title page Songs of Innocence and of Experience, copy AA, object 1.jpg
Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul title page

Songs of Innocence and of Experience is a collection of illustrated poems by William Blake. [1] Originally, Blake illuminated and bound Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience separately. [2] It was only in 1794 that Blake combined the two sets of poems into a volume titled Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. [1] Even after beginning to print the poems together, Blake continued to produce individual volumes for each of the two sets of poetry. [2]

Contents

Blake was also a painter before the creation of Songs of Innocence and of Experience and he engraved, hand-printed, and colored detailed art to accompany each of the poems in Songs of Innocence and of Experience. [3] This unique art helps tell the story of each poem, and was part of Blake's original vision for how each poem should be understood. [4] Blake was heavily inspired by children's literature and juvenile education in his creation of Songs of Innocence and of Experience, and his analysis of childhood as a state of protected innocence rather than original sin, but not immune to the fallen world and its institutions, would soon become a hallmark of Romanticism. [2] [5]

Notably, there has been an abiding relationship between Songs of Innocence and of Experience and musical artists. Poems from the collection have been set to music by a variety of musicians, and band U2 titled two of their albums Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience in an homage to this volume. [6] [7]

Songs of Innocence

Songs of Innocence was originally a complete collection of 23 poems first printed in 1789. Blake etched 31 plates to create the work and produced an estimated seventeen or eighteen copies. [8] This collection mainly shows happy, innocent perception in pastoral harmony, but at times, such as in "The Chimney Sweeper" and "The Little Black Boy", subtly shows the dangers of this naïve and vulnerable state.

Copy G of The Divine Image held at the Yale Center for British Art and printed in 1789 Songs of Innocence copy G object 12 The Divine Image.jpg
Copy G of The Divine Image held at the Yale Center for British Art and printed in 1789

The poems are listed below: [9]

Songs of Experience

Songs of Experience is a collection of 26 poems forming the second part of Songs of Innocence and of Experience. The poems were published in 1794 (see 1794 in poetry). Some of the poems, such as "The Little Girl Lost" and "The Little Girl Found", were moved by Blake to Songs of Innocence and were frequently moved between the two books. [note 1]

The poems are listed below: [9]

Illustrations

Blake was known for his skill as an artist and print-maker in addition to his poetry, and he combined these talents when creating Songs of Innocence and Experience. [10] Each page of Songs of Innocence and of Experience contains the text of the poem surrounded by a unique illustration. Blake individually illustrated these pages for each binding he did of the collection. [11] Blake combined several strategies to create each unique illustration. [12] He would create a relief-etched copper printing plate by hand, then paint each page after printing using a variety of mediums, including watercolor. [12] [13] This process meant that each printing of Songs of Innocence and of Experience was visually distinct from the one that came before. [11]

Blake confessed in a letter that Songs of Innocence and Experience was an attempt to combine the "painter and the Poet." [14] The illustrations in Songs of Innocence and of Experience do more than simply depict what is in the poem. They serve to intensify and translate the poems and are central to a full understanding of what each poem attempts to convey. [15] [16] The meaning of several of the poems is changed by the illustrations that accompany them, with notable examples including The Blossom and the first plate of The Little Girl Lost. [15]

Some of Blake's illustrations have occasionally been critiqued for errors or lack of realism. [17] Notable examples include inconsistent coloring of the rose appearing in the illustration of The Sick Rose and the appearance of the tiger in The Tyger. [15]

Musical settings

Blake's title plate (No. 29) for Songs of Experience Blake Experience 29.jpg
Blake's title plate (No. 29) for Songs of Experience

Poems from both books have been set to music by many composers, including Ralph Vaughan Williams, Joseph Holbrooke, John Frandsen, Per Drud Nielsen, Sven-David Sandström, Benjamin Britten, and Jacob ter Veldhuis. Individual poems have also been set by, among others, John Tavener, Victoria Poleva, Jah Wobble, Tangerine Dream, Jeff Johnson, and Daniel Amos. A modified version of the poem "The Little Black Boy" was set to music in the song "My Mother Bore Me" from Maury Yeston's musical Phantom. [18] The folk musician Greg Brown recorded sixteen of the poems on his 1987 album Songs of Innocence and of Experience and by Finn Coren in his Blake Project. [19]

The poet Allen Ginsberg believed the poems were originally intended to be sung, and that through study of the rhyme and metre of the works, a Blakean performance could be approximately replicated. In 1969, he conceived, arranged, directed, sang on, and played piano and harmonium for an album of songs entitled Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake, tuned by Allen Ginsberg (1970). [20]

American composer and producer David Axelrod produced two solo albums, Song of Innocence (1968) and Songs of Experience (1969) which were homages to the mystical poetry and paintings of William Blake. [21]

The composer William Bolcom completed a setting of the entire collection of poems in 1984. In 2005, a recording of Bolcom's work by Leonard Slatkin, the Michigan State Children's Choir, and the University of Michigan on the Naxos label won four Grammy Awards: Best Choral Performance, Best Classical Contemporary Composition, Best Classical Album, and Best Producer of the Year (classical). [22]

The composer Victoria Poleva completed "Songs of Innocence and of Experience" in 2002, a chamber cycle on the verses by Blake for soprano, clarinet and accordion. It was first performed by the ensemble Accroche-Note of France. [23]

Electronic rock group Tangerine Dream based their 1987 album Tyger on lyrics by William Blake. [24]

Irish rock group U2 released an album called Songs of Innocence in 2014, and followed it in 2017 with Songs of Experience . [7]

American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan mentioned the Songs of Experience in his song "I Contain Multitudes" in his Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020) album. [25]

Facsimile editions

The Huntington Library and Art Gallery in San Marino, California, published a small facsimile edition in 1975 that included sixteen plates reproduced from two copies of Songs of Innocence and of Experience in their collection, with an introduction by James Thorpe. The songs reproduced were Introduction, Infant Joy, The Lamb, Laughing Song and Nurse's Song from Songs of Innocence, and Introduction, The Clod & the Pebble, The Tyger, The Sick Rose, Nurses Song and Infant Sorrow from Songs of Experience. Tate Publishing, in collaboration with The William Blake Trust, produced a folio edition containing all of the songs of Innocence and Experience in 2006. A colour plate of each poem is accompanied by a literal transcription, and the volume is introduced by critic and historian Richard Holmes.

William Blake, Songs of Innocence and of Experience edited with an introduction and notes by Andrew Lincoln, and select plates from other copies. Blake's Illuminated Books, vol. 2. William Blake Trust / Princeton University Press, 1991. Based on King's College, Cambridge, copy, 1825 or later.

Songs of Innocence Dover Publications, 1971. Based on copy of Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, Library of Congress, Copy B, ca. 1790.

Songs of Experience Dover Publications, 1984. Based on "a rare 1826 etched edition," per back cover.

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tyger</span> 1794 William Blake poem

"The Tyger" is a poem by the English poet William Blake, published in 1794 as part of his Songs of Experience collection and rising to prominence in the romantic period. The poem is one of the most anthologised in the English literary canon, and has been the subject of both literary criticism and many adaptations, including various musical versions. The poem explores and questions Christian religious paradigms prevalent in late 18th century and early 19th century England, discussing God's intention and motivation for creating both the "Lamb" and the eponymous "Tyger."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lamb (poem)</span> 1789 poem by English poet William Blake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">London (William Blake poem)</span> Poem by William Blake

"London" is a poem by William Blake, published in the Songs of Experience in 1794. It is one of the few poems in Songs of Experience that reflects a constrained or bleak view of the city. Written during the time of significant political and social upheaval in England, the poem expresses themes of oppression, poverty, and institutional corruption. Scholars have suggested that Blake used this work to critique the impacts of industrialization and to highlight the experiences of London's impoverished residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Little Black Boy</span> 1789 poem by William Blake

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Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ah! Sun-flower</span> Illustrated poem by William Blake

"Ah! Sun-flower" is an illustrated poem written by the English poet, painter and printmaker William Blake. It was published as part of his collection Songs of Experience in 1794. It is one of only four poems in Songs of Experience not found in the "Notebook".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earth's Answer</span> Poem by William Blake

Earth's Answer is a poem by William Blake within his larger collection called Songs of Innocence and of Experience. It is the response to the previous poem in The Songs of Experience-- Introduction . In the Introduction, the bard asks the Earth to wake up and claim ownership. In this poem, the feminine Earth responds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Little Vagabond</span> Poem by William Blake

The Little Vagabond is a 1794 poem by English poet William Blake in his collection Songs of Innocence and of Experience. His collection, Songs of Innocence, was originally published alone, in 1789. The scholar Robert Gleckner says that the poem is a form of transformation of the boy in the poem "The School Boy", from Songs of Innocence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Blake in popular culture</span>

William Blake's body of work has influenced countless writers, poets and painters, and his legacy is often apparent in modern popular culture. His artistic endeavours, which included songwriting in addition to writing, etching and painting, often espoused a sexual and imaginative freedom that has made him a uniquely influential figure, especially since the 1960s. After Shakespeare, far more than any other canonical writer, his songs have been set and adapted by popular musicians including U2, Jah Wobble, Tangerine Dream, Bruce Dickinson and Ulver. Folk musicians, such as M. Ward, have adapted or incorporated portions of his work in their music, and figures such as Bob Dylan, Alasdair Gray and Allen Ginsberg have been influenced by him. The genre of the graphic novel traces its origins to Blake's etched songs and Prophetic Books, as does the genre of fantasy art.

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"The Fly" is a poem written by the English poet William Blake. It was published as part of his collection Songs of Experience in 1794.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Introduction (Blake, 1794)</span> 1794 poem by William Blake

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"The Little Boy Found" is a poem by William Blake first published in the collection Songs of Innocence in 1789. Songs of Innocence was printed using illuminated printing, a style Blake created. By integrating the images with the poems the reader was better able to understand the meaning behind each of Blake's poems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Little Boy Lost</span> 1789 poem by William Blake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The School Boy</span> Poem by William Blake

"The School Boy" is a 1789 poem by William Blake and published as a part of his poetry collection entitled Songs of Experience. These poems were later added with Blake's Songs of Innocence to create the entire collection entitled "Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul". This collection included poems such as "The Tyger", "The Little Boy Lost", "Infant Joy" and "The Shepherd". These poems are illustrated with colorful artwork created by Blake first in 1789. The first printing in 1789 consisted of sixteen copies. None of the copies of Songs of Innocence are exactly alike as some of them are incomplete or were colored in posthumously "in imitation of" other copies.

<i>Songs of Innocence and Experience</i> (Allen Ginsberg album) 1970 studio album by Allen Ginsberg

Songs of Innocence and Experience is an album by American beat poet and writer Allen Ginsberg, recorded in 1969. For the recording, Ginsberg sang pieces from 18th-century English poet William Blake's illustrated poetry collection of the same name and set them to a folk-based instrumental idiom, featuring simple melodies and accompaniment performed with a host of jazz musicians. Among the album's contributors were trumpeter Don Cherry, arranger/pianist Bob Dorough, multi-instrumentalist Jon Sholle, drummer Elvin Jones, and Peter Orlovsky – Ginsberg's life-partner and fellow poet – who contributed vocals and helped produce the recording with British underground writer Barry Miles.

References

  1. 1 2 "Songs of Innocence and of Experience, copy C, 1789, 1794 (Library of Congress): electronic edition". www.blakearchive.org. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Leader, Zachary (11 August 2015). "Reading Blake's Songs". Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315675121. ISBN   978-1-315-67512-1.
  3. ↑ Tate. "William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience". Tate. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  4. ↑ Zhao, Sinan (19 April 2023). "The Comparison and Fusion of William Blake's Poetry and Paintings". Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences. 12: 78–82. doi: 10.54097/ehss.v12i.7602 . ISSN   2771-2907.
  5. ↑ The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: The Age of Romanticism. Broadview Press. 2010. ISBN   978-1-55111-404-0.
  6. ↑ Hutchings, Kevin (2007). "William Blake and the Music of the Songs". Romanticism on the Net (45). doi:10.7202/015815ar. ISSN   1467-1255.
  7. 1 2 Greene, Andy (20 September 2017). "Bono on How U2's 'Songs of Experience' Evolved, Taking on Donald Trump". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  8. ↑ "Songs of Innocence". The William Blake Archive. Retrieved 19 August 2023. Blake etched the Songs of Innocence in relief, with white-line work in some designs, on thirty-one plates in 1789, the date on the title page. The first printing, also of 1789, produced seventeen (or possibly eighteen) copies[.]
  9. 1 2 "Collective Title: Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Bentley Copy F - YCBA Collections Search Search Results". collections.britishart.yale.edu. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  10. ↑ Barker, Authors: Elizabeth E. "William Blake (1757–1827) | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History". The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  11. 1 2 "William Blake | Songs of Experience: Introduction". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  12. 1 2 William Blake's printing process . Retrieved 6 April 2024– via www.youtube.com.
  13. ↑ "How The Prints Are Made". William Blake Prints. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  14. ↑ "Joseph Viscomi, "William Blake's 1818 Letter to Dawson Turner and Later Career as Graphic Artist" | BRANCH" . Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  15. 1 2 3 Wilkinson, A. M. (1962). "Illuminated: Or Not?: A Note on Blake's "Songs of Innocence and of Experience"". The Modern Language Review. 57 (3): 387–391. doi:10.2307/3721830. ISSN   0026-7937. JSTOR   3721830.
  16. ↑ Behrendt, Stephen C. (1992), Behrendt, Stephen C. (ed.), "Songs of Innocence and of Experience", Reading William Blake, London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 36–72, doi:10.1057/9780230380165_2, ISBN   978-0-230-38016-5 , retrieved 6 April 2024
  17. ↑ Bateson, F. W. (1 January 1963). Selected Poems of William Blake. Heinemann.
  18. ↑ "Phantom: The American Musical Sensation 1991". The Official Masterworks Broadway Site. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  19. ↑ "Greg Brown Discography". Gregbrown.org. Archived from the original on 1 December 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  20. ↑ "PennSound: Ginsberg/Blake". writing.upenn.edu. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  21. ↑ "Songs of Innocence and Experience: The Tone Poems of David Axelrod and William Blake". PBS SoCal. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  22. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 February 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. ↑ "Songs of Innocence, a song cycle on words by William Blake for soprano, clarinet and accordion (2002), - Poleva, Victoria - listen online, download, sheet music". classical-music-online.net. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  24. ↑ Peacock, Tim (1 June 2023). "'Tyger': Behind Tangerine Dream's William Blake-Inspired Visions". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  25. ↑ "I Contain Multitudes | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
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