by William Blake (1757 - 1827)
When the voices of children are heard on...
Language: English
When the voices of children are heard on the green And laughing is heard on the hill, My heart is at rest within my breast And everything else is still. "Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down And the dews of night arise; Come, come, leave off play, and let us away Till the morning appears in the skies." "No, no, let us play, for it is yet day And we cannot go to sleep; Besides, in the sky the little birds fly And the hills are all cover'd with sheep." "Well, well, go & play till the light fades away And then go home to bed." The little ones leaped & shouted & laugh'd And all the hills echoed.
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Text Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "Nurse's song", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Innocence, no. 16, first published 1789 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by (Thomas) Athanasios Aronis (b. 1935), "Nurse's song", from Blake Song Cycle, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Grant Beglarion (b. 1927), "Nurse's song", 1960 [ satb chorus and orchestra or piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Phillip Thomas Bezanson (1916 - 1975), "Nurse's song", published 1959, from Songs of Innocence, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Bolcom (b. 1938), "Nurse's song", 1956-81 [ solo voices, chorus, orchestra ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 10 [sung text not yet checked]
- by A. (Alfred or Arthur?) Herbert Brewer (1865 - 1928), "The Voices of the Children", published c1912 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Vincent Henry Palmer Caillard, Sir (1856 - 1930), "Nurse's song", published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from The Songs of Innocence of William Blake, no. 16, London : Novello, Ewer & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Charlton Crawford (b. 1931), "Nurse's song", first performed 1976 [ women's chorus and piano ], from Three Blake Songs, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Charlton Crawford (b. 1931), "Nurse's song", published 1978 [ SSA chorus and piano ], from Two Blake Songs, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by William E. Crofut, III , "Nurse's song", 1973 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gordon Crosse (b. 1937), "Nurse's Song: When voices of children are heard on the green", op. 17 no. 5 (1966), published 1967, first performed 1966 [ soprano, baritone, mixed chorus, and orchestra ], from Changes - A Nocturnal Cycle, no. 5, London : Oxford University Press [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dorothy Carter Drennan (b. 1929), "Nurse's song", 1973, first performed 1973 [ medium voice and keyboard ], from Songs of William Blake, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Vernon Duke (1903 - 1969), "Nurse's song", published c1955 [ medium voice and piano ], from Four Songs, no. 1, NY : Broude Bros. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hubert James Foss (1899 - 1953), "The nurse's song", published 1925 [ voice and piano ], London : Oxford University Press [sung text not yet checked]
- by Derek Foster , "Nurse's song", 1973-5, first performed 1975 [ contralto, clarinet, and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Antony Garlick (b. 1927), "Nurse's song", published 1971 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Twelve Madrigals, no. 2, NY : Seesaw Music Press [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ole Carsten Green (b. 1922), "Nurse's song", op. 27b no. 15 (1973) [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 15 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Geoffrey Gwyther , "Nurse's song", published 1917 [ medium voice and piano ], from Seven Poems from Blake's "Songs of Innocence", no. 3, London, The Poetry Bookshop [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fritz Bennicke Hart (1874 - 1949), "Nurse's song", op. 158 (A Set of Five Songs) no. 4 (1945) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Isador) George Henschel (1850 - 1934), "When the voices of children are heard on the green", published c1919 [ unison chorus and piano ], Glasgow : Bayley & Ferguson [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gary Michael Higginson (b. 1952), "Nurse's song", op. 55 no. 3 (1981-2) [ duet for tenor and alto ], from Seven Songs of William Blake, Set II, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Milton Henry Hindus (b. 1916), "Evening song", published c1940 [ SSA chorus and accompaniment ], Minneapolis : Hall & McCreary [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joseph Holbrooke (1878 - 1958), "Nurse's song", op. 130 no. 10 (1934), from Songs of Innocence, no. 10 [sung text not yet checked]
- by John (Nicholson) Ireland (1879 - 1962), "Nurse's song", alternate title: "Sunset Play", 1913, published c1914 [ unison chorus ], London: Year Book Press (Ascherberg) [sung text not yet checked]
- by (John) Michael Jacques (b. 1944), "Nurse's song", 1966 [ soprano voices and piano with optional accompaniment for strings, 2 clarinets, and piano ], from Six Songs of Innocence, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mabel Jennings , "Nurse's song", published 1907 [ voice and piano ], from Five Songs of Innocence, no. 2, Oxford : Sydney Acott, Harris & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by J. Frederick Keel (1871 - 1954), "The nurse's song", published 1952 [ unison junior chorus a cappella ], London : J. B. Cramer, in Cramer's Library of Unison and Part-Songs, no. 241 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mary Margaret Kelly (b. 1957), "Nurse's song I", c1985 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Five Poems from William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dorothy Hill Klotzman , "Come home", published c1967 [ 2-part chorus a cappella ], from Poetical Sketches, no. 8, NY : Mercury Music Corp. [sung text not yet checked]
- by David Krane (b. 1953), "Nurse's song", c1972 [ soprano and piano ], from Songs of Innocence and of Experience, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bertram Luard-Selby (1853 - 1918), "Nurse's song", published 1885 [ SA chorus and piano ], London : Novello [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles T. Maclary , "Nurse's song", published 1941 [ unison or 2-part treble chorus a cappella ], from Nine Happy Songs, from Songs of Innocence of William Blake, no. 9, Philadelphia : Elkan-Vogel Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilfrid Howard Mellers (b. 1914), "Nurse's song I", 1976 [ unaccompanied soprano ], from The Echoing Green : Songs of Innocence and Experience, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Donald Patriquin (b. 1938), "Nurse's song", 1984 [ SSAA chorus, harp, and flute ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Juliet Raphael , "Nurse's song", published c1927, from Madrigal and Minstrelsy, New York : Albert & Charles Boni [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ellen Raskin (1928 - 1984), "Nurse's song", published 1966 [ voice and piano or guitar ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 16, Garden City, NY : Doubleday [sung text not yet checked]
- by Geraldine Dorothy Rasmussen (b. 1925?6), "Voices of children", 1985, rev. 1988 [ soprano, flute, and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by George Rochberg (1918 - 2005), "Nurse's song", 1957, published 1963, rev. 1962, first performed 1961 [ soprano and chamber ensemble ], from Blake Songs, no. 2, NY : Leeds Music Corp. (MCA) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Roderick-Jones (b. 1947), "Nurse's song", 1967-8 [ soprano, SSA chorus, and orchestra ], from cantata Songs of Innocence, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Somervell, Sir (1863 - 1937), "Nurse's song", published 1889 [ voice and piano ], from Five Songs of Innocence (formerly Four Songs of Innocence), no. 4, London, Stanley Lucas & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christopher Steel (b. 1939), "Nurse's song ", published c1965 [ unison chorus and piano ], London : Novello [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ronald Stevenson (b. 1928), "Nurse's song", 1948-50, rev. 1965 [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 16, another version exists for voice, flute, and string quintet (composed 1966-71) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dorothy Wauchope Stewart , "Nurse's song", published c1926 [ unison and 2-part treble chorus ], from Eight Songs of Innocence, no. 8, London : H. W. F. Deane & Sons, The Year Book Press [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Austin Sykes (1909 - 1962), "Nurse's song", 1935-6, first performed 1975 [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 13 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eric Harding Thiman (1900 - 1975), "The voices of children (Nurse's song)", 1969, published c1970 [ SA chorus and piano ], Waterloo, Ontario : Waterloo Music Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by (William) Prentice Torrance (1890 - ?), "Nurse's song", published c1937 [ unison chorus and piano ], London : J. Curwen [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles A. Trew , "A children's holiday", published c1914 [ 2-part chorus for treble voices and piano ], London : J. Williams [sung text not yet checked]
- by Persis Anne Vehar (b. 1937), "At play", 1985, first performed 1987 [ SATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ernest Walker (1870 - 1949), "Nurse's song", op. 7 no. 5, published 1898 [ SS chorus or SA chorus and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 5, London : J. Williams [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rudolph T. Werther (1896 - 1986), "Nurse's song", 1960 [ voice and piano ], from Song Cycle : On Children, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "Nurse's song: Songs of Innocence", published c1892 [ SA chorus (or solo voice, omitting second part) and piano ], from Twelve Songs for Children, no. 10, London : Boosey & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "Voices of the children", published c1910 [ voice and piano ], London : Boosey & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Margaret Lucy Wilkins (b. 1939), "Nurse's song: Innocence", op. 15 no. 5 (1970) [ mezzo-soprano, viola, and piano ], from Songs of Innocence and Experience, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 123