SYKES PROJECT MMXVIII

JOHN SYKES Settings o William Blake's SONGS o EXPERIENCE The JOHN SYKES PROJECT MMXVIII

John Austin Sykes (1909 1962) John Sykes was born in India in 1909 - 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 contemorary 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 imortant 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 communist oet Randall Swingler and a contemorary 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 comosition 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 (as a conscientious objector) in a labour cors, until he died o cancer in the school Sanatorium in the summer term o 1962. He comosed roliically throughout his lie music or his own erormance, or riends and or school events. Sadly, only two items were ever ublished, a carol and a hymn. The John Sykes Project is an inormal grou o ormer uils who are transcribing his music and encouraging its erormance. www.jasykes.online sykesroj@talktalk.net

Songs o Exerience John Sykes comosed these twenty settings o Blake's 'Songs o Exerience' in two searate series, robably some years aart. The irst ten survive in a careully written but undated coy in the comoser's own hand, hard bound and gold titled (like the 'Songs o Innocence' o 195/6), as some orm o resentation. They also exist in another, robably later, manuscrit, not in the comoser's hand but likely that o a roessional coyist, which in addition contains settings o a urther ten songs. This manuscrit has only recently come to light in the Swingler Archives, and has been kindly donated by the Swingler Archive to the John Sykes Archive at Kingswood School, Bath. The School and the John Sykes Project are grateul to Mrs Judy Williams (the daughter o Randall Swingler) or her generosity. These twenty songs, together with the set o sixteen o Blake's 'Songs o Innocence', comlete the comoser's intention o setting most o Blake's two visionary cycles. John Sykes and the oet Randall Swingler - great riends since their Oxord days - were both deely insired by Blake's oetry. Both men read aers on the subject to various organisations - Sykes to literary societies at Kingswood, and Swingler to various olitical and educational bodies in London - and the rovenance o these extra ten songs is evidence o the way they shared their interest, not just intellectually but creatively. In August 1975, a erormance o twenty seven songs rom both sets was given at Kingswood School by Graham Titus and Geraldine Pein (Geraldine was Randall Swingler's widow and, like her twin sister Mary, was a concert ianist o considerable reute.) A recording o this erormance was made, and a coy is in the John Sykes Archive. Since the rogramme contained several songs rom the second series o 'Exerience' settings, it is robable that the Swingler archive manuscrit was used by the erormers: this conjecture is reinorced by the resence o erormance indications in encil. On this occasion many o the songs rom the irst series were transosed to keys other than in the original manuscrit, to it the tessitura o the singer. This means that we cannot be sure o the original keys o any songs in the second series. Curiously, although all the other songs in this coyist's manuscrit o the second series have the vocal art in the treble cle, the inal song, 'The Voice o the Ancient Bard', uses the bass cle. The Ancient Bard must be male. All the original manuscrits o Sykes' settings o the irst series o 'Songs o Exerience' use the bass cle, whereas the 'Songs o Innocence' use the treble cle. P.J.C. Autumn 2011 (revised January 2018) [rom the manuscrit in the comoser's own hand]

Songs o Exerience First series age I Introduction: Hear the Voice o the Bard 1 II Earth's Answer 7 III My Pretty Rose Tree 12 IV Ah! Sunlower 14 V The Lilly 17 VI The Poison Tree 19 VII The Sick Rose 2 VIII The Fly 25 IX Holy Thursday 28 X The Tyger 1 Second series XI The Clod and the Pebble 9 XII The Angel 41 XIII The Garden o Love 44 XIV The Little Vagabond 46 XV London 50 XVI The Human Abstract 5 XVII Inant Sorrow 56 XVIII To Tirzah 58 XIX The Schoolboy 62 XX The Voice o the Ancient Bard 68

First Series 1 1. Introduction: Hear the Voice o the Bard William Blake John Sykes Grave et Solenne (Molto Moderato) Grave et Solenne (Molto Moderato) Hear the voice o the Bard, Who 4 7 re Ho - sent, ast and ut ture sees; Whose ears have heard The - ly Word That walk'd a-mong the an - ient trees; m Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

2 10 Call - ing, call ing - the lased soul, And wee - ing 1 in the eve - ning dew; m iù sz 15 m That might con - trol the 16 starr - - - - - ry ole, And

17 al - len, al - len light re - rit. 18 20 22 Più andante new! Più andante tranquillo cantabile rit. [with great eeling] Earth, O Earth re - turn! A - m rise rom out the dew - y grass! 'O

4 24 26 28 0 Night is worn, And the morn, the morn Ris - - es, ris - ses rom the m slum cresc. - ber-ous mass. s molto dim. e rit. a temo s rall. rall. a temo 'Turn a - way no

2 5 4 5 7 more; Why wilt thou turn a - way? oco rit. oco rit. m The starr - - loor, The wat - - - - - 'ry y

6 9 shore, Is giv'n thee cresc. m cresc. 41 accel. accel. accel. s s Till the break accel. 4 s o day.' largamente e grandioso

William Blake 1 Poco sostenuto Poco sostenuto II. Earth's Answer m John Sykes 7 8 Earth rais'd u her head rom the dark - ness dread and 15 drear, Her light led, Ston - y, 19 m dread, And her locks cov-er'd with grey des - m Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

8 rit. a temo 25 1 air. 9 rit. a temo 'Pris-on'd on wa - t'ry shore, star-ry jeal-ous-y does kee my den Cold and hoar; Wee - ing o - 'er, I hear the 46 m m ath - er o the anc - ient men. rit. rit.

51 a temo 9 61 a temo 'Sel - ish ath - er o men! Cru- el, jeal - ous, sel - ish oco iu animato m oco iu animato 56 ear! Can de - light, Chained in 65 temo rimo m night, temo rimo The vir - gins o youth and morn - ing bear? m

10 72 rit. 77 84 rit. 'Does cresc. sring hide its joy, when buds and blos - soms grow? Does the sow - er Sow by night, 89 Or the low - man in dark - ness m

94 oco animato 11 100 lough? s 'Break oco animato 107 114 this hea-vy chain, that does reeze my bones a - round! Sel - ish, vain, E-tern - al bane, That ree love with bond - age bound.' m smorz. rall. iù lento rall. rall. iù lento rall.

12 William Blake 1 Andante Andante 5 dolce III. My Pretty Rose Tree A low-er was o - ered to me, Such a low-er as May ne-ver bore; But I said John Sykes 9 12 'I've a re-tty rose tree,' And I assed the sweet low-er o'er. rit. a temo rit. a temo Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

16 Then I went to my rett - y rose tree, To 1 19 tend her by day and by night; But my rose 22 turned 25 rit. a temo a-way with jeal - ous-y, And her dim. thorns were my on - - ly de rit. cresc. rall. rall. light. a temo

14 IV. Ah! Sunlower William Blake John Sykes 1 Molto moderato m Ah, Sun- lower, Molto moderato semlice 4 wear-y o time, Who count-est the stes o the sun; 7 Seek - ing at - er that sweet gold - - en m cresc.oco Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

9 15 clime Where the trav - - - - ell - er's 11 jour - ney is done: 1 16 ale Where vir the Youth ined a - way with de - sire, And the - gin shroud-ed in snow, A - rise rom their graves, dim. cresc. cresc.

16 19 22 allarg. and as - ire Where my Sun-lower wish - es to go! allarg. 25 28 m dim. rall. rall.

V. The Lilly 17 William Blake John Sykes 1 Sostenuto The mo - dest Rose uts orth a thorn, The Sostenuto legato 4 humb - le shee a threat' - ning horn; While the Lil - ly cantabile 7 white shall in love de- light, Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

18 9 m esressivo Not a thorn nor a threat stain her 11 rall. a temo 1 beau dim. - - - - - ty bright. rall. a temo tranquillo 15 rall. rall. molto

VI. The Poison Tree 19 William Blake John Sykes 1 Con moto e marcato I was ang - ry with my riend: I told my wrath, my wrath did Con moto e marcato 6 end. I was ang -ry with my oe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. 11 dim. Coyright Kingswood School, Bath And I wat-er'd it in ears

20 16 Night and morn-ing with my tears, And I sun - ned it with smiles 20 And with sot de - ceit - ul wiles. m subito 24 And it grew both day and night, Till it

27 bore an a - le bright, And my oe be-held it shine, 21 1 And he knew that it was mine, 5 And in - to my gar - den stole m

22 8 When the night had veil'd the ole; In the morn - ing, glad, rit. allarg. I rit. allarg. s 41 a temo see My oe out-stretched be - neath the tree. s a temo non rit. 45 s

VII. The Sick Rose 2 William Blake John Sykes 1 Andante sostenuto mezza voce O rose, thou art sick! The in - Andante sostenuto m 4 vis - i - ble worm, that lies in the night, In the howl s - ing storm, Has sz sz dim. 7 ound out thy bed O crim - son joy, And his dark sec - ret m Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

24 10 allarg. cresc. a temo love does thy lie de - stroy. allarg. cresc. colla arte a temo 1 s m dim. 16 rit. e smorz. rit. e smorz.

VIII. The Fly 25 William Blake John Sykes 1 Allegretto e caricioso Allegretto e caricioso m Lit - tle Fly, Thy sum - mer's lay my thought - less hand Has brush'd a - way. Am not I a ly like thee Or 5 art not thou A man like me? For I dance, and drink, and cresc. animato Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

26 7 sing, Till some blind hand shall brush my 9 wing. molto I 11 thought is lie And strength and breath, And the

27 12 want o thought is death; 1 dim. Then am I A ha - y ly. I I live, or i I die. 15 non rit. s

28 IX. Holy Thursday William Blake John Sykes 1 Moderato Is this a ho - ly thing to see In a rich and ruit -ul land, Moderato 6 Babes re-duced to mis - er - y, Fed with cold and us - ur - ous hand? 10 m Is that tremb - ling cry a song? Can it be a song o joy? Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

14 29 And so man - y child - ren oor? It is a land o ov - er - ty! dim. 18 And their sun does ne - ver shine, and their ields are bleak and 21 cresc. bare, And their ways are illed with thorns, It is e -

0 24 tern - al win - ter there. For [con anima] where-e'er the sun does sostenuto 27 shine, and where-e'er the rain does all, Babe can ne - ver 0 rall. hun - ger there, Nor o - ver - ty the mind a - al. rall. - - - - - - -

William Blake X. The Tyger 1 John Sykes 1 Allegro con uoco 5 Allegro con uoco basso marcato Ty or - ger, ty - ger burn - ing bright in the - ests o the night, 7 What im - mor - tal hand or eye Could Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

2 9 rame thy ear - ul sym - me - try? 11 1 In what dist - ant 15 dees or skies Burnt the ire o thine eyes? On what wings

17 19 dare he as - ire? What the hand dare seize the ire? 21 And what shoul - der and what 2 art Could twist the sin - ews o thy

4 25 heart? And, when thy heart be - 27 gan to beat, What dread hand and 29 1 what dread eet? What the ham - mer? what the chain?

5 5 In what urn - ace was thy brain? 7 9 What the an - vil? what dread gras Dare its dead - ly ter - rors clas? dim.

6 41 4 When m iu calmato the stars threw down their sears, And wat - er'd hea - ven with their tears, 45 Did He smile his work to see? 47 s Did He who made the lamb s make

7 49 () thee? 51 5 Ty or - ger, Ty - ger burn - ing bright in the con uoco - ests o the night, a temo 55 What im - mor - tal hand or eye Dare s a temo

8 57 rame thy ear - ul sym - me - try? 59 non rit. e cresc. molto 61 s s s

Second Series 9 XI. The Clod and the Pebble William Blake John Sykes 1 Fairly slow m 'Love seek-eth not it-sel to lease, Nor or it-sel hath an - y care, Fairly slow dolce 4 oco rit. But or an oth-er gives its ease, And builds a heav'n in hell's des - air, in hell's des oco rit. 7 A temo air'. So sung a litt - le clod o clay, Trodd-en with the catt-le's eet, A temo Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

40 10 But a ebb-le o the brook War cresc. - bled out these me-tres meet, these me-tres 1 meet: 'Love seek-eth on-ly Sel to lease, To bind an -oth-er to its de-light, 16 18 ite, Joys in an- oth - er's loss o ease, And builds rall. A temo rit. in heav'n's des - ite.' rall. A temo rit. a hell in heav'n's des - dim. m s

William Blake XII. The Angel 41 John Sykes Moderato Moderato I dreamt a dream! What can it mean? 6 And that I was a maid - en Queen Guard - ed by an An - gel mild: Wit-less 11 rit. A temo 15 woe was ne'er be - guil'd! rit. A temo s m And I wet both night and day, And he wied my Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

42 19 24 tears a - way; And I wet both day and night, And hid rom him my heart's de - light. So m rit. A temo rit. A temo m s he took his wings and led; 0 Then the morn blush'd ro - sy red. I dried my tears and rit. arm'd my ears With ten thou - sand shields and s m rit.

7 A temo sears. Soon my An - gel came a - A temo 4 41 gain; I was arm'd, he came in vain; For the time o youth was led, 46 49 head. And grey hairs were on my rall. Allarg. rit. Allarg. s rall. rit.

44 XIII. The Garden o Love William Blake John Sykes 6 Andante m I went to the Gar - den o Love, And saw what I ne - ver had Andante m s seen; A Cha-el was built in the midst, Where I used to s lay 10 14 on the green. m dolce s Coyright Kingswood School, Bath And the gates o this Cha - el were shut, And 'Thou shalt not' writ ov-er the door; So I turned to the Gard - en o cresc. s esante

18 22 26 29 oco rit. a temo dim. Love That so man - - - y sweet low-ers bore. dolce oco rit. a temo esante s And m m I saw it was ill - ed with graves, And tomb-stones where low - ers should s be; And riests in black gowns were walk-ing their rounds, And rall. bind-ing with bri - ars my joys and de - sires. rall. s Lento cresc. Lento smorz. m 45

46 XIV. The Little Vagabond William Blake John Sykes Allegro animato (with sirit) Allegro animato (with sirit) Dear moth - er, dear moth - er, the Church is cold, But the 5 Ale-house is health - y, and leas-ant and warm. Be - sides, I can tell where I am used well; Such s 9 us - age in heav - en will nev - er do well. s Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

12 But, con brio i at the Church they would give us some ale, And a 47 con brio 15 leas - ant ire our souls to re- gale, We'd sing and we'd ray all the 18 21 live stray. - long day, Nor ev - er once wish rom the Church to cresc.

48 24 27 0 Then the Par - son might reach, and drink, and sing, And we'd be as ha - y as birds in the sring; And mod -est Dame Lurch, who is al ways at church, Would not have band - y child - ren, nor ast - ing, nor birch. s s con brio And God, like a ath - er, re - con brio

6 joi - cing to see His child - ren as leas - ant and ha - y as He, Would 49 9 42 45 have no more quarr - el with the Dev - il or the barr - el, But kiss him, and give him both drink and a - ar - el. cresc. accel. resto accel. resto s

50 XV. London William Blake John Sykes Molto sostenuto (ma non troo lento) Molto sostenuto (ma non troo lento) I wanderthro' each chart-er'd street, Near where the char-ter'd Thames does low, And 4 mark in ever-y ace I meet, Marks o weak - ness, marks o woe. In smorz. s m 7 ev' - ry cry o ev' - ry man, In ev' - ry in - ant's cry o ear, In Coyright Kingswood School, Bath

9 12 14 16 ev' - ry voice, in ev' - ry ban, The mind - org'd man - a-cles I hear: How the dim chim ha walls. - ney swee - er's cry Ev' - ry black' ning church a - als, And the cresc - less sold - ier's sigh cresc Runs in blood But m down al - ace most, through mid - night streets I 51

52 18 21 22 25 hear How the youth - ul har - lot's curse Blasts the new-born in-ant's tear, And cresc s s cresc molto blights with lagues a temo hearse. a temo esante oco allarg. dim the mar - riage oco allarg. s smorz.

VI. The Human Abstract 5 William Blake John Sykes 14 20 Poco andante Poco andante Pi-ty would be no more i we did not make some-bod-y oor, And Mer cy no more could be i all were as ha-y as we. And mut-u -al ear brings Peace, Till the sel - ish love in crease; Then Cru-el-ty knits a snare, And m s sreads his baits with care. He sits down with ho - ly ears, And Coyright Kingswood School, Bath 8 s

54 25 wa-ters the ground with tears; Then Hu - mil-i - ty takes its root Un - der-neath his m 0 oot. Soon sreads the dis - mal shade o Mys-ter - y ov - er his 5 9 head, And the cat-er-ill - ar and ly Feed on the Mys - ter - m oco esante s s m legato y. And it bears the ruit o De - ceit, Rudd-y and sweet to s

44 48 52 eat, And the rav-en his nest has made In its thick - est shade. The gods o the earth and sea sought through nat - ure to ind this tree, But their search was all in vain: There s s s Piu sostenuto m Lento rall. grows one in the hu - man Brain. 56 55 Piu sostenuto Lento rall. s

56 XVII. Inant Sorrow William Blake John Sykes Moderato Moderato My moth - er groaned, My ath - er wet: 7 In-to the dang-er-ous world I leat, Hel - less, 1 na - ked i - ing loud, Like 19 cloud. oco rit. oco rit. cresc. a temo a iend hid in a a temo Coyright Kingswood School, Bath Strugg- ling in my

25 ath - er's hands, Stri - ving a-gainst my swad - dling bands, 57 1 7 sulk 41 breast. a temo a temo Bound and wear - y, I thought best To cresc. oco rit. u-on my moth - - - - - er's oco rit. rit. rit.

58 William Blake XVIII. To Tirzah John Sykes Maestoso 7 1 18 Maestoso sum thee? What - e'er is born o mort-al birth Must be con - ed with the earth, To s rise rom gen er - a - tion ree: Then what have I to do with s m Coyright Kingswood School, Bath The sex - es

59 24 srung rom shame and ride, Blow'd in the 28 morn, in ev'n - ing died; But m merc - y m 8 chang'd death in - to slee; The sex-es rose to work and wee. Thou, cresc.

60 44 50 55 60 moth - er o my mort - - al art, With cru - el-ty dids't mould my heart, And with alse sel - - - de-ceiv - ing tears Dids't bind my nost - rils, eyes, and ears, Dids't close my

61 66 71 81 tongue in sense-less clay, And me to sense - less lie be - tray. The s s colla arte death o Jes - sus set me ree: Then what have I to do with Allarg. Molto Allarg. Thee? s 76 Allarg. Molto Allarg.

62 XIX. The Schoolboy William Blake John Sykes Allegretto (oco cariccioso) 5 9 1 Allegretto (oco cariccioso) m tree; me: m I love to rise in a sum - mer morn, When the bird's sing on eve - ry m The dis-tant hunts-man winds his horn, And the sky - lark sings with O what sweet com - an - y! Coyright Kingswood School, Bath m

6 17 But to go to 21 school in a sum-mer morn, O it drives all joy a - way! Un-der a s 25 cru - el eye out - worn, The litt - le ones send the m 28 day in sigh - - - ing and dis - may.

64 1 Ah! then at times I droo-ing sit, and send man - y an an-xious 5 hour, Nor in my book can I take de - light, Nor sit in learn - - ing's 9 bower, Worn thro' with the dread - ul shower. 42 m

45 49 52 55 How can a bird that is born or joy sit in a cage and m grazioso sing? How can a child, when ears ann - oy, But droo his tend - - - er wing, And or - get his youth - ul sring? O ath - er and s m 65

66 58 moth-er i buds are ni'd, And bloss - oms blown a - way; And i the m 62 ten-der lants are stri'd o their joy in the sring-ing day, by sor - 66 rall. A temo - row and care's dis - may, rall. A temo 69 How shall the summ - er a - rise in joy, Or the

72 summ - er ruits a - ear? Or how shall we ga - ther what gries des - 67 m 75 79 troy, Or bless the mell ear? the blasts o win-ter a- rall. - - ow-ing year, When A temo A temo rall. 82

68 XX. The Voice o the Ancient Bard William Blake John Sykes 6 Poco sostenuto Youth o de- light! come hi - ther And see the o - en-ing morn, Im-age o Truth, Poco sostenuto o Truth new- born. Doubt is led, and clouds o rea - son, 11 15 Dark dis-utes and art - ul teas - ing. Foll-y is an end - - less maze; Tang-led roots er - lex her ways; How man Coyright Kingswood School, Bath s s - y have

18 69 21 all - en there! They stum - le all night ov er bones o the dead; s esante And eel they know not what but care; And wish to lead 2 oth-ers, when they should be led. Allarg A temo Allarg A temo s oco esante 27 m dim e rall.