I. My Pretty Rose Tree

II. Nurse's Song

Many years ago, I made these two settings of poems from William Blake’s Songs of Experience. The text of “My Pretty Rose Tree” reminds me of Heine’s
semi-ironical love poems, set by Schumann in Dichterliebe. Somehow, Heine both parodies and embodies the romantic tradition of his time.
The playful anachronisms of the piece are a nod to this special blend of irony & sincerity.

In “Nurse's Song,” the abstract melancholy of the Minecraft soundtrack was an inspiration.

Texts:

I.

A flower was offered to me,
Such a flower as May never bore;
But I said, ‘I’ve a pretty rose tree,’
And I passed the sweet flower o’er.

Then I went to my pretty rose tree,
To tend her by day and by night;
But my rose turned away with jealousy,
And her thorns were my only delight.

II.

When the voices of children are heard on the green,
And whisperings are in the dale,
The days of my youth rise fresh in my mind,
My face turns green and pale.

Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down,
And the dews of night arise;
Your spring and your day are wasted in play,
And your winter and night in disguise.

Photo credits: Original