JOHN SYKES PROJECT MMXVIII

Transcription

1 John Sykes Settings o sixteen o William Blake's SONGS o INNOCENCE The JOHN SYKES PROJECT MMXVIII

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3 John Austin Sykes ( ) John Sykes was born in India in in India because his ather was in the Indian civil service. Back in England he won a music scholarshi to Cliton College, Bristol, and whilst still a schoolboy gained his A.R.C.O. and F.R.C.O. In 1928 he went u to Oxord as organ scholar at Balliol. In those days, undergraduates were not able to read Music as a irst degree, so Sykes read Modern History, and ollowed it u with a B.Mus. One conteorary source considered him to have been the most distinguished musical undergraduate o his time. He was resident o the amous Oxord University Oera Club and active in the Music Club and Union. He was suiciently iortant to be given a ull-age sread in the undergraduate newsaer Isis which reerred to his ability to make a iano do anything but swim. He was a riend o the let-wing oet Randall Swingler, and also a conteorary o W.H. Auden, Stehen Sender and C. Day Lewis, whom he knew, so it is erhas not surrising that he was a luent, though not distinguished, oet. Ater Oxord, he went to London, to the Royal College o Music, where he studied coosition under Ralh Vaughan Williams, R. O. Morris and Gordon Jacob. In 196 he was aointed to the sta o Kingswood School, and there he stayed, excet or war service, until he died o cancer in the school Sanatorium in the summer term o The John Sykes Project is an inormal grou o ormer uils who are transcribing and ublishing his music on the internet, and encouraging its erormance. sykesroj@talktalk.net

4 Songs o Innocence age I Piing Down the Valleys Wild 1 II The Blossom 5 III The Sheherd 6 IV The Ecchoing Green 8 V The Lamb 12 VI The Little Black Boy 15 VII The Little Boy Lost and Found 20 VIII Laughing Song 22 IX A Cradle Song 25 X The Divine Image 27 XI Holy Thursday 1 XII Sring 4 XIII Nurse's Song 7 XIV Inant Joy 40 XV A Dream 42 XVI On Another's Sorrow 46 The manuscrits o these sixteen settings o William Blake include all but two o Blake's nineteen 'Songs o Innocence' [Little Boy Lost and Little Boy Found are set as a single song], and are stored in the John Sykes Archive at Kingswood School, Bath, together with settings o Blake's 'Songs o Exerience'. The two collections are careully bound in two searate volumes, with tooled titles and very neat coying in the cooser's own hand, suggesting that they were reared or some orm o resentation. The 'Songs o Innocence' date rom 195 and 196, while the 'Songs o Exerience' are undated, but ossibly were written earlier. (There are a urther eleven settings rom 'Songs o Exerience' which come rom a later date.) The John Sykes Project is an inormal grou o ormer uils who are transcribing his music and encouraging its erormance. sykesroj@talktalk.net

5 I. Piing Down the Valleys Wild William Blake John Sykes Allegro Giocoso Allegro Giocoso Pi - ing down the vall-eys wild, child, And he laugh ing said to me: "Pie a song a-bout a Lamb!" Coyright Kingswood School, Bath Pi - ing songs o leas -ant glee, On a cloud I saw a

6 So I ied with merr - y cheer. "Pi - er, ie that song a - gain." So I ied: he wet to hear. rit. rit. 17 a teo: animato a teo: animato 19 "Dro thy ie, thy ha - y ie; Sing thy songs o ha - y cheer!"

7 21 So I sung the same a - gain, While he wet rit. rit. 24 with joy to hear. a teo a teo 27 "Pi - er, sit thee down and write In a book that all may read." So he 0 van-ish'd rom my sight; And I luck'd

8 4 6 rall. a holl - ow reed, And I made a ru - ral en, rall. a teo 8 a teo And I stained the wat - er clear, And I wrote my ha - y songs ev'r - y child 40 rit. a teo may joy to hear. rit. a teo June 195

9 II. The Blossom 5 William Blake John Sykes 6 Allegretto Allegretto [lightly] Merr- y, merr-y sarr- ow! Und-er leaves so green A ha-y bloss-om Sees you, swit as arr - ow, Seek your crad - le narr - ow, Near my bos - om. 10 Prett- y, rett y ro-bin! Und-er leaves so green A ha ybloss-om Hears you sob - bing, sob - bing, 15 Prett- y, rett - y rob - in, Near my bos - om. [non rit.] Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

10 6 III. The Sheherd William Blake John Sykes Tranquillo How sweet is the she - herd's sweet lot! From the morn to the Tranquillo dolce 7 even - ing he strays; He shall oll - ow his shee all the 12 day, cresc. And cresc. his tongue shall be ill Coyright Kingswood School, Bath rall. rall. a teo - ed with raise. a teo

11 17 For he hears the lambs' inn - o - cent call, 7 22 And he hears the ewes' ten - der re - ly; He is 27 cresc. watch - ul while they are in eace, For they know cresc. 1 when their allarg. she a teo - herd is nigh. allarg. a teo dim. rit. June 195

12 8 IV. The Ecchoing Green William Blake John Sykes 6 Con brio Con brio ha marcato ma non esante - y the skies; The merr - y bells ring to wel-come the Sring; The The Sun does a-rise, and make sky - lark and thrush, The 10 birds o the bush, Sing loud - er a - round To the bells' cheer-ul sound; While our 1 sorts shall be seen on the e - ccho-ing green, While our sorts shall be seen on the Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

13 17 E ccho-ing Green Old John, with white hair, does laugh a- way care, sitt-ing un-der the oak, A 27 mong the old olk. They laugh at our lay, And soon they all say: "Such, such were the joys when we 1 all, girls and boys, In our youth-time were seen On the E - ccho-ing Green, In our iu youth - time were iu

14 seen on the E Green ccho-ing litt Till the - le ones, wear - y, no more can be merr - y; The Sun does de - scend, And our sorts have an end. Round the las o their moth -ers man - y sis - ters and bro- thers, Like birds in their nest, are read - y or rest,

15 sort 6 And sort no more seen on the dark no more seen On the dark - en -ing Green, And en - ing Green. morendo non rit.

16 12 William Blake V. The Lamb John Sykes Moderato e selice Moderato e selice Does thou know who made thee, Gave By the stream and o'er the mead; cresc. oco Sot - est cloth- ing, wooll - y, bright; Gave cresc. Coyright Kingswood School, Bath Litt-le lamb, who made thee? thee lie, and bid thee eed Gave thee cloth-ing o de light, thee such a ten - der voice,

17 allarg. a teo rit. a teo Mak-ing all allarg. Does thou know who made thee? oco rit. a teo the vales re joice? Litt-le lamb, who made thee? a teo rit. a teo oco rit. a teo Litt-le lamb, I'll tell thee; Litt-le lamb, I'll tell thee: He is call - ed by thy name, For he calls him-sel a Lamb. He is meek, and he is mild, 1

18 He be - came a litt - le child. I a teo Litt a teo We are call allarg. cresc. - ed by his name. a teo a child, and thou a lamb, allarg. a teo rit. iu - le lamb, God bless thee! Litt a teo thee! a teo rit. oco rit. - le lamb, God bless oco rit. dim. rit. rit. July 195

19 VI. The Little Black Boy 15 William Blake John Sykes Poco Allegretto Poco Allegretto selice My moth - er bore me in the South- ern wild, And 6 I am black, but O! my soul is white! White as an ang - el is the Eng- lish child, But I am black, as i be - reaved o light. My moth er taught me un der neath a tree, And, sitt -ing down be ore - the heat o day, She took me on her la and Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

20 16 19 kiss 24 'Look sed me, And oint-ing to the East, be - gan to say: on the ris cresc. - ing Sun: there God does live, And gives His light, and gives His heat a - way. And low - ers and trees and beasts and men re - ceive Com-ort in morn - ing, joy in the noon - day. 'And

21 we are ut on earth a litt - le sace, That we may learn to bear the beams o love; And these black bod-ies and this sun-burnt ace Are but a cloud, and like a sha -dy grove. 'For when our souls have learn'd the heat to bear, The cloud will van- ish, we shall hear his voice, say-ing: 17

22 "Come out rom the grove, my love and care, And round my gold-en tent like lambs re - joice," ' Thus did my moth delicato kiss - ed me, And thus I say to litt - le Eng - lish boy: - er say, and When I rom black, and he rom white cloud ree, And round the tent o God like lambs we oco esante

23 joy, 71 rall. I'll a teo shade him rom the heat, till rall. a teo he can bear to lean in joy u - on our Fath - er's knee; And s then I'll stand and stroke his sil - ver hair, and allarg. be like him, allarg. love me. molto largamente and he will molto largamente then Feb

24 20 VII. The Little Boy Lost and Found William Blake Selice "Fath John Sykes - er, ath- er, where are you go- ing? O do not walk so Selice 6 ast! Seak, ath- er, seak to your litt-le boy, Or else I shall be lost". 11 The night was dark, no ath - er was there, The child was wet with dew; The 16 mire was dee, and the child did wee, And a - way the va - our lew. Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

25 20 The litt-le boy lost in the lone - ly en, Led by the wand'r-ing light, Be gan to cry, But God, ev-er nigh, a ear'd like his ath - er in white. He 0 kiss'd the child, and by the hand led, and to his moth-er brought, who in sorr - ow ale, through the 5 lone oco rit. a teo oco rit. - ly dale, the litt-le boy wee - ing sought. oco rit. a teo oco rit. March 196

26 22 VIII. Laughing Song William Blake John Sykes Allegro When the green woods laugh with the Allegro lightly 4 voice o joy, And the di - ling stream runs laugh - ing by; When the 7 air does laugh with our merr - y, merr-y wit, And the green Coyright Kingswood School, Bath hill laughs with the

27 10 noise o it; When the 1 mead - ows laugh with live - ly green, And the grass - ho - er laughs in the merr- y, merr - y scene; When Mar Sweet round mouths sing 'Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, He!' - y and Sus - an and Em - il - y with their

28 24 22 When the aint - ed birds laugh in the shade, Where our 25 tab - ble with cherr - ies and nuts is sread: Come live, and be merr - y, and join with me, to sing the sweet chor - us o 'Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, He!' oco rit. oco rit. July 195

29 William Blake IX. A Cradle Song 25 John Sykes Very quietly and easily Very quietly and easily Sweet dreams orm a shade o'er my love-ly in ant's head! 7 Sweet dreams o leas ant streams By ha - y, sil - ent, moon - y beams! 1 Sweet babe, in thy ace Ho - ly im - age I can trace; Sweet babe, 19 once like thee Thy Mak - er lay, and wet or me: Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

30 26 25 Wet or me, or thee, or all, When He was an in - ant small. Thou his im - age ev - er see, 1 Heaven-ly ace that smiles on thee! Smiles on thee, on 7 me, on all, Who be- came an in - ant small, In - ant smiles are His own smiles; 42 Heaven and earth to eace be- guiles. rall. rall. Feb. 196

31 X. The Divine Image 27 William Blake John Sykes 4 7 Poco andante Poco andante ray dolce To Mer - cy, Pi - ty, Peace and Love, All in their dist-ress, And to these virt - - ues o de-light Re - -turn their thank - ul ness. For Mer - cy, Pi - ty, Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

32 28 10 Peace, and Love, Is God our Fa-ther dear; And Mer - cy, Pi - ty, 1 Peace, and Love Is Man, a teo dim..... his child and care. For cresc. a teo dim Mer - cy has a hum-an heart; Pi cresc. - ty, a hum-an ace; And

33 29 19 Love, the hum-an orm di- vine; AndPeace, the the dolce 22 hum-an dress. Then eve -ry man, o eve ry clime, That rays in his dist ress, 25 Prays to the hum-an orm di- vine: Love, Merc - y, Pit - y, Peace. s

34 0 28 a teo And All must love the hum - an orm, In a teo 1 Heath - en, Turk or Jew. WhereMer - cy, Love and Pit - y dwell, There 4 allarg. rall. God is dwell - ing too. allarg. rall. June 195

35 XI. Holy Thursday 1 William Blake John Sykes Allegretto selice Allegretto 'Twas on a Hol - y Thurs - day, their inn - o-cent a - ces clean, The 4 child ren walk - ing two and two, in red, and blue, and green; Grey head-ed bead - les walk'd be- ore, with 7 wands as white as snow, Till in - to the high dome o Paul's they like Thames 10 wat - ers low. Oh Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

36 2 1 what a mul - ti-tude they seem'd, these low-ers o Lond on Town! Seat-ed in co - an ies thay sit, with 16 rad ience all their own. The hum o mul - ti-tudes was there, but mul - ti- tudes o lambs, 19 Thou sands o litt - le boys and girls rais-ing their inn -o-cent dim hands. Now like a might - y wind they raise to oco esante

37 heav-en the voice o song, Or like har- mon -ious thund - er- ings the seats o heav-en a- mong: neath them sit the age - d men, wise guard-ians o the oor. Then - ty, lest you drive an an - - gel rom your door. oco rall. cher-rish i - - Be oco rall. dim.

38 4 XII. Sring William Blake John Sykes Brightly Brightly [oco staccato] Sound Now it's mute! Bird's de - light, Day and night, Night - ing - ale, In the dale, Lark in sky, Merr - i - ly, Merr - i - ly, Merr i - ly, to wel-come in the year. the Flute! Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

39 5 19 Litt - le boy, Full o joy; Litt - le girl, sweet and small; Cock does crow, so do you; Merr - y voice, In - ant noise; Merr - i - ly, Merr i - ly, to Litt wel-come in the year. - le Lamb, Here I am; Come and lick

40 my white neck; Let me ull your sot wool; Let me kiss your sot ace; Merr - i - ly, Merr - i - ly, we year. wel - come in the 50 cresc. non rit. Set. 195

41 XIII. Nurse's Song 7 William Blake John Sykes Allegretto e scherzando oco Allegretto e scherzando oco When the voic-es o child-ren are selice 6 heard on the green, And laugh-ing is heard on the hill, My heart is at rest with 10 in my breast, And ever - y thing else is still. 14 "Thencome home, my child- ren, the sun is gone down, And the Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

42 dews o night a - rise; Come, come, leave o lay, and let us a - way, Till the morn-ing a-ears in the skies." 28 "No, no, let us lay, or it is yet day, And we can-not go to 2 slee; Be - sides, in the sky the litt - le birds ly, And the hills are all cov-er'd with

43 rit. shee." bed." ec - rit. choed. "Well, well, go and lay till the light ades a-way, And then go home to The litt-le ones leaed, a teo a teo and shout -ed,l and laugh'd, And all the hills rit. rit. Jan

44 40 William Blake XIV. Inant Joy John Sykes With quiet intensity With quiet intensity "I have no name; I am but selice e iano two days old." What shall I call thee? "I rit. ha - y am, Joy a teo ten. Joy be - all thee! rit. a teo is my name." legato Sweet Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

45 14 Prett - y Joy! Sweet Joy, but two days old rit. Thou Sweet joy, I call thee: oco rit... dost smile, I sing the while; Sweet grazioso cresc. a teo joy be - all thee! rit. a teo smorz. e rall. [ ] [ ] allarg. e dim..... Setember 195

46 42 XV. A Dream William Blake With gentle movement [smoothly] John Sykes Once a dream did weave a shade With gentle movement legato 6 O'er my an - gel guard - ed bed, That an Em-met lost his way 10 where on grass me - thought I lay. s Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

47 Troub - led, wild - er'd and or- lorn, Dark, be-night - ed, tra - vel worn, Ov-er man - y a tang-led sray, All heart - broke, I heard her say: "O [ s ] my child - ren! do they cry, legato Do they hear their a - ther sigh? Now they look a - broad to see, 4

48 44 2 [ rit. ] a teo Now re-turn and wee or me." [ rit. ] a teo Pi glow - ty - ing, I dro'd a tear: But I saw a - worm near, Who re- lied, "What wail - ing wight Calls the watch - men o the night? s

49 "I am set to light the ground, While the beet - le goes his round: Foll - ow now the beet a teo home!" a teo - le's hum; Litt - le wand - er-er, hie thee rit. rit. rall. rall. Dec

50 46 William Blake Moderato molto a teo Can Moderato molto rit. a teo rit. XVI. On Another's Sorrow selice I see an - oth-er's woe, John Sykes And not be in sorr - ow too? Can I see an - oth-er's grie, And not seek or kind re - lie? Can I see a all - ing tear, And not eel my sorr - ow's share? Can a ath - er see his child Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

51 10 Wee, nor be with sorr - ow ill'd? 1 16 in-ant groan, an in-ant ear? No - no! no!nev-er can it be! Nev rit. can rit. it be! a teo dim. Can a moth - er sit and hear an cresc. - er, nev - er dim. a teo rit. rit. a teo And can He who smiles on all a teo leggiero

52 48 20 Hear the wren with sorr - - ows small, 21 2 Hear the small bird's grie and care, Hear the woes that in - ants bear And not sit be - side the nest, Pour - ing it - y in their breast, 25 And not sit the cra dle near,

53 26 Wee - ing tear on in - ant's tear? And not sit both night and day, Wi-ing all our tears a- way? O no! no! nev - er can it be! Ne - ver, ne - - ver dim. rit. 28 can it be! rit. a teo a teo

54 50 4 rit. a teo He doth give his joy to all: rit. a teo 6 He be-comes an in - - ant small, 7 He be comes a man o woe, He doth eel the sorr - ow too.

55 51 9 Think not thou canst sigh a sigh, And thy Mak - er is not by: Think not thou canst wee a tear, And thy Ma - ker is not near.

56 52 44 O! He gives to us His joy, that our grie He may de stroy: 46 Till our grie is led and gone He doth sit by us and moan. dim. rit. rit. R.H. 49 a teo rit. molto a teo rit. molto January 196