Tyger Transmogrified
HE element of surprise was certainly not lacking in the performance over 2YA by Linette Grayson of The Tiger Song by Wolstenholme, Behind this curious title lurked no nursery tiger nor jazz-band rag ° beastie, but William Blake’s one and only Tyger, Tyger. It was surely the most staggering instance of ill-found music for words any studio performer has unearthed for us. Amy Woodforde-Finden (whose style is aped in this composition) could not have achieved anything further from the spirit of Blake's poem. It had waverings on the half tone, in the true and original Indian Love Lyric manner, on the words "of the night" followed by "plink, plonk" on the piano to suggest the stalking paws of a most amiable, Disneyish animal. And then, because the composer couldn’t fit two of the syllables into his tune, which he valued more than Blake’s poem, the word "fearful" was left. out of the line "could frame thy fearful symmetry?" All this, and then (again 4 la Love Lyric) a refrain after each verse: "Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! Ti-ger! The composer of this fantastic monstrosity is presumably the organist composer of "The Question and the Answer." With Blake, one wonders, "Did he smile his work to see?"
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19461025.2.44.9
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 383, 25 October 1946, Page 23
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205Tyger Transmogrified New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 383, 25 October 1946, Page 23
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Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
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