These songs for tenor or soprano and oboe were composed for the film The Vision of William Blake, in which all except the second and third songs of the set were used alongside music from Job to form the soundtrack. The settings richly conjure the moods and sentiments of Blake's poems, the first nine of which are from Songs of Innocence and of Experience, with the final song setting words from his poem Auguries of Experience. The oboe part may alternatively be played on the violin or on B-flat clarinet, though the composer stated that oboe was preferable.