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Innocence and Experience, V. The Divine Image

from The Senior Composition Recital of David Grossman by David Lee Grossman

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about

Near the end of my freshman year, I wanted to set myself a new compositional goal – while I had written plenty of choral works and a fair number of solo songs, I had never tackled a song cycle. Around the same time, I heard a recording of John Tavener’s The Lamb, which reintroduced me to the poetry of William Blake. While I was reading through his Songs of Innocence and Experience collection, a few different poems jumped out at me and I decided to use that collection for my first cycle.

Over the next year or so, this project went through a number of changes, from a goal to set the entire two volume collection, to a cycle just containing texts from the collection, to its final modified form. Once I had selected and set four of the texts, I realized I couldn’t find a poem in either volume that fit into the developing arc as a penultimate movement. While looking through random collections of poetry online, I stumbled upon a Blake poem I had never heard before that fit perfectly. Although that text wasn’t from Songs of Innocence and Experience, I decided to keep a similar title as it still fit the cycle.

Each movement in the cycle presents its text in a different style, ranging from the more traditional The Lamb to the quasi-20th century The Sick Rose. This last movement mixes a speech-like melody influenced by chant with a sparse accompaniment and rich harmonies.

lyrics

To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
All pray in their distress;
And to these virtues of delight
Return their thankfulness.

For Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
Is God, our father dear,
And Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
Is Man, his child and care.

For Mercy has a human heart,
Pity a human face,
And Love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.

Then every man, of every clime,
That prays in his distress,
Prays to the human form divine,
Love, Mercy, Pity, Peace.

And all must love the human form,
In heathen, Turk, or Jew;
Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell
There God is dwelling too.

credits

from The Senior Composition Recital of David Grossman, released June 27, 2019
Abigail Merk - soprano
David Grossman - piano

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David Lee Grossman Charleston, South Carolina

Inspired from a young age by Mozart to write music, and more recently John Williams to write soundtrack music, David Grossman began composing in 7th grade and already has a diverse portfolio encompassing many genres from baroque and classical to jazz to choral and vocal music. He is a graduate of Westminster Choir College (BM, Music Composition) and the Seattle Film Institute (MM, Film Music) ... more

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