My pretty rose tree

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 turnd away with jealousy:
And her thorns were my only delight.

by William Blake (1757-1827) , "My pretty rose tree", from Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Experience, no. 13, published 1794

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by William Alwyn (1905-1985) , "The rose tree", 1933, from Songs of Experience, no. 4.
by William Henry Bell (1873-1946) , "My pretty rose tree", 1940, from Twelve Blake Songs, no. 7.
by William Bolcom (1938-) , "My pretty rose tree", 1956-81 [soli, madrigal group, chorus, and orchestra], from Songs of Experience, Volume Two, no. 2.
by Mark Leopold Bucci (1929-) , "The rose tree", published 1968, from The Wondrous Kingdom (Flora and Fauna), no. 4.
by Robert Cross (1899-) , "My pretty rose tree", 1951. [voice, piano]
by David Haines (1956-) , "My pretty rose tree", 1972-9, rev. 1984, first performed 1979 [high voice and piano], from Songs of Experience, no. 4.
by Fritz Bennicke Hart (1874-1949) , "My pretty rose tree", op. 25 (Seven songs) no. 5 (1917). [voice and piano]

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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