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#3746: "Songs of Experience": Music Inspired by Poetry of William Blake

Hear musical settings of William Blake’s poetry for this New Sounds. Listen to Martha Redbone’s rootsy setting of “The Garden of Love” from her album of the same name – an entire collection of hollered melodies, lullabies, and folky mountain takes on the Romantic 18^th century English poetry of William Blake. Then, hear stunning choral music by Sir John Tavener, setting both “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” by Blake. Plus, there’s experimental big band jazz from bandleader and drummer John Hollenbeck with Theo Bleckman & Bigband Graz, as well as an avant-garde electronica setting of Blake's poetry by JacobTV, featuring Laura Vendetti. Hear music by Patti Smith which incorporates “The Lamb,” and a deep cut by U2 with Brian Eno’s ambient production all over it. There’s also a progressive rock setting from Emerson Lake, & Palmer, and even some classic Tangerine Dream, just to hit as many kinds of musical as possible.

PROGRAM #3746 Settings of Poetry & Text By William Blake (First aired on 7/2/2015)

ARTIST(S)	RECORDING	CUT(S)	SOURCE
Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge \| Richard Marlow, conductor \| Philip Rushforth, organ	Allegri: Miserere	Sir Hubert Parry: Jerusalem [2:46]	Conifer 16851 Available via Arkivmusic arkivmusic.com, or download from Amazon.com, iTunes
Laura Vendetti	Electrosax	Jacob TV: The Garden of Love [7:17]	4Tay CD4044 Available at Amazon.com & iTunes
John Hollenbeck, Theo Bleckmann, Jazz Bigband Graz	Joys & Desires	The Garden of Love) [5:03]	Intuition #3862 intuition-music.com
Martha Redbone Roots Project	The Garden of Love - Songs of William Blake	The Garden of Love [4:12]	Blackfeet Productions 93001 martharedbone.com
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Philips, conductor	Ikon of Light-Funeral Ikos – The Lamb	Sir John Tavener: The Lamb [3:42]	Gimell 404 Available via arkivmusic.com, or as an import via Amazon.com, or download from iTunes
Patti Smith	Land (1975-2002)	The Lamb/Boy Cried Wolf (Live, Paris 2001) [5:46]	BMG - #BVCA-27010/1 Available at Amazon.com or iTunes
U2 (with Brian Eno)	The Joshua Tree (deluxe 20^th Anniversary remastered edition)	Beautiful Ghost (Blake: Introduction to Songs of experience) [3:50]	Island - #1064 Available at Amazon.com or iTunes
Tangerine Dream ft Jocelyn Bernadette Smith	Tyger	Smile, excerpt [1:00]	Relativity - #88561-1055-2 Available as an import via Amazon.com Or download from iTunes
The Sixteen/Harry Christophers	John Tavener: Ikon of Light	John Tavener:Tyger [5:59]	Collins Records - #14052 or Coro #16015 Available at arkivmusic.com
Van Morrison	A Sense of Wonder	Let the Slave (w/ Blake: The Price of Experience) [5:23]	Polydor / Mercury - #5375452 Available at Amazon.com, iTunes
Emerson Lake & Palmer	Brain Salad Surgery	Jerusalem, excerpt [1:31]	Rhino / Rhino/Warner Bros. - #72459 Available at Amazon.com, iTunes and others.

"Garden of Love," Original plate and artwork by William Blake

(Wolfman~commonswiki/Wikimedia Commons)

"I went to the Garden of Love,
And saw what I never had seen;
A Chapel was built in the midst,
Where I used to play on the green.

And the gates of this Chapel were shut,
And ‘Thou shalt not’ writ over the door;
So I turned to the Garden of Love
That so many sweet flowers bore.

And I saw it was filled with graves,
And tombstones where flowers should be;
And Priests in black gowns were walking their rounds,
And binding with briars my joys & desires."

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