David Rain/William Blake: "The Tyger"

"The Tyger" is dedicated to my daughter Salima, who asked me if I might try setting this remarkable William Blake poem to music, a daunting thought, to say the least.
But I took on the challenge and here is the result. I have created a chromatic melody that twists and turns, echoing the twisted sinews of the Tyger’s heart in Blake’s poem. The penultimate verse includes a dissonant mini-fugue and the song ends on a final, terrifying, triple forte tritone: “Tyger!”
NB: four years after writing "The Tyger", I created a choral version of Blake's "The Lamb" as a companion piece (and a kind of response) to "The Tyger."
• David Rain/William Bla...
A question for listeners. If the two songs were to be sung in sequence in a concert, what order works best for you: (a) to sing "The Lamb" first, and thus end up on a terrifying note with "The Tyger"; or (b) to sing "The Tyger" first and end more softly with "The Lamb?"
NB: for song info, or sheet music (SATB), visit: davidrainchora....
Sincere thanks to Matthew Curtis (choraltracks.com) for recording "The Tyger."
I would like to acknowledge the a cappella choir that I sang in for 28 years, The Stairwell Carollers, and director Pierre Massie, for their musical inspiration.
And with deepest appreciation to my brother Adam Rain and my friend Geneviève Lajoie for their invaluable support throughout my composing journey.

[@DavidRainChoralComposer]

For song info or sheet music, visit: davidrainchoralcomposer.ca/songs/the-tyger-william-blake/.

[@alejandromejiasanchez1646]

I congratulate you, your music is really impressive, the speech is very well established, the harmonies are amazing, the interpretation of the work itself is impeccable. I loved it, I subscribed to your channel, I will continue listening to your music. greetings from Argentina!

[@DavidRainChoralComposer]

Muchas gracias Alejandro and greetings from Ottawa, Canada!

[@CanuckComposer]

David, you certainly captured the "twisted sinews" - the composition shows lots of skill

[@DavidRainChoralComposer]

Thank you!

[@alejandromejiasanchez1646]

Hi David, I recommended your wonderful work to a fellow choral composer and choir director, with very nice music. your work is worth a lot! it's great!

[@DavidRainChoralComposer]

Muchas gracias, Alejandro!

[@davidedgarwalther6938]

Really beautiful. Great piece.

[@DavidRainChoralComposer]

Thank you very much!

[@mgbchoralmusic6443]

Amazing harmonies!

[@DavidRainChoralComposer]

Thanks!

[@DavidRainChoralComposer]

MEA CULPA: I have just discovered a typographical error that will be corrected in the publicly available score. It should read "What the anvil, what dread grasp", not "dead grasp." My apologies to any William Blake fans who might have noticed this.

[@rolom3]

So much yummy dissonance!

[@DavidRainChoralComposer]

Thanks!

[@DavidRainChoralComposer]

One footnote for Blake fans: as you will know the poem ends with the words "fearful symmetry." When composing this piece,, I naturally found myself ending it with a very harsh chord, repeating the word "Tyger!" Only later did I realize that I had actually created a kind of musical "fearful symmetry", as the final chord is in fact a double tritone: the distance between the basses to tenors (E to B flat) being exactly the same as the distance between the tenors and the sopranos (B flat to E). This is also known as the devil's interval.