Lyr Req: The Wizard (Peter Jenkyns)

Subject: Lyr Req: The Wizard (music for schools?)
From: whitehound
Date: 30 Mar 11 - 09:21 PM

I tried posting this a couple of days ago but it seems to have vanished into the ether.

A friend of mine who died a few weeks ago used to sing a song called The Wizard. After he died - so I can't ask him about it! - I decided on a whim to look it up and get the complete words, only to find that it's a very obscure song. There are only a few places on the net that even mention it - and all of them are other peopel trying to find the lyrics.

I've pieced together what I can from what my friend told me and what I could find on the net, but I don't know if what I have is complete or not. It was probably one of the songs produced in Britain sepcifically for use in schools in the 1960s/1970s.

The Wizard

With pointed hat and nails like claws
And a terrible smile on his face
The Wizard sits behind locked doors
In his cell in a mountain place.
Around the walls of his magic cell
Ranged out in endless lines
Are books of spells for him to cast
And bottles of magic wine

With horny hands he waves his wand
And scatters upon the fire
A powder which burns with a ghostly light
As the flames grow [or rise?] even higher
His lips recite a magic spell
The flames dance on the walls
And shadows darken on his face
As to his knees he falls

?? another verse??

As I turn the page of the picture book,
The scenes change endlessly:
Kings and Queens and palaces,
And galleons on the sea.
But whenever I look at the picture book,
I linger over the place
Where the Wizard sits behind locked doors
In his cell in a mountain place

And all around are spells to cast
And bottles of magic wine
And all the time his terrible eyes
Are staring into mine!

Does anybody know whether that should be "grow" or "rise", whether there's another verse or verses in the middle and what the tune is?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wizard (music for schools?)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 04 Apr 11 - 08:18 PM

This poem can be found in Verse for Ages by Colleen Thatcher & Bernie Morris (Bronwyn Editions, 2009), page 189.

I used my wizardry to extract this much:


THE WIZARD

With pointed hat and nails like claws
And a terrible smile on his face
The wizard sits behind locked doors
In his cell in a mountain place.
Around the walls of his magic den
Laid out in endless line
Are books of spells for him to cast
And bottles of magic wine.

With horny hands he waves his wand
And scatters upon the fire
A powder which burns with ghostly light
As the flames rise even higher.
His lips recite a magic spell,
The flames dance on the walls
And shadows deepen on his face
As on his knees he falls.

As I turn the pages of the picture book
The scenes change endlessly
Kings and queens and palaces
And galleons on the sea
But whenever I look at the picture book
I linger at the place
Where the wizard sits behind locked doors
In his cell in a mountain place

With books of spells for him to cast
And bottles of magic wine
And all the time his wicked eyes
Are gazing into mine.



[But I can't tell if there is more after this. In any case, it seems to be presented as a poem, not a song.]

Subject: ADD: The Wizard (Peter Jenkyns)
From: GUEST
Date: 06 May 11 - 12:15 PM

THE WIZARD
Peter Jenkyns

With pointed hat and nails like claws
And a terrible smile on his face
The wizard sits behind locked doors
In his cell in a mountain place.
Around the walls of his magic den
Laid out in endless line
Are books of spells for him to cast
And bottles of magic wine.

With horny hands he waves his wand
And scatters upon the fire
A powder which burns with ghostly light
As the flames rise even higher.
His lips recite a magic spell,
The flames dance on the walls
And shadows deepen on his face
As on his knees he falls.

As I turn the page of the picture book
The scenes change endlessly
Kings and queens and palaces
And galleons on the sea
But whenever I look at the picture book
I linger at the place
Where the wizard sits behind locked doors
In his cell in a mountain place

With books of spells for him to cast
And bottles of magic wine
And all the time his wicked eyes
Are gazing into mine!!

That is the words I had sang that in my school choir so I would know!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wizard (music for schools?)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 May 11 - 05:40 PM

Do we have the entire song now, and have we agreed on it? Is the melody available?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wizard (music for schools?)
From: GUEST
Date: 30 May 11 - 11:38 AM

id love to get the melody for this as i used to ding it in the choir about 6years ago now so i cant remember D:

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wizard (music for schools?)
From: GUEST,whitehound
Date: 11 Oct 11 - 06:10 PM

After a lot of sleuthing I've established that The Wizard was written in or prior to the 1960s by a Canadian composer called Peter Jenkyns. If you Google "Peter Jenkyns" and "The Wizard" you'll find several people selling sheet music for it.

I've made a little page about it - this has a playable version of the song so people like me who can't read music can still learn the tune.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wizard (Peter Jenkyns)
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Nov 12 - 05:50 AM

At the age of 10/11years, I learned this song at my junior school which was Chatsworth Street Primary, and as a joint participation from other schools in the area a combined choir was formed with selected pupils of which I was one... a conductor,(Mr JENKYNs, or Jenkins)took final rehearsals with us all and we then performed at the Liverpool Philharmonic giving a splendid performance, with all the combined school of the area... it was totally amazing, a performance i have since never participated and as a child have never forgotten the experience.. and THE WIZARD,, was one of the songs we sang.... thank you for enlightening me and for the lyrics...xxx

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wizard (Peter Jenkyns)
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Jul 14 - 02:02 AM

Yep, the last version of the lyrics are correct but I have the sheet music for it and the melody isn't quite correct.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wizard (Peter Jenkyns)
From: GUEST,Sylvia
Date: 13 Aug 17 - 05:19 AM

I learnt this at Granton Primary school in Streatham Vale around 1957-1958.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wizard (Peter Jenkyns)
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 03:52 PM

I too remember singing this in the school choir when I was in junior school (it would have been around 1980-82). We also sang it in a inter-school performance, a "Festival of Music". The lyrics and the tune have always stuck with me (though sadly I've only ever been able to remember the first two verses) and I often sing it to myself while pottering around the house doing chores.

So good to have found the full lyrics! I shalln't have to sing just the first two verses over and over! :-D

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wizard (Peter Jenkyns)
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Mar 21 - 12:23 AM

I remember singing this with my classmates in Dewson Elementary, in Toronto ON.

From 2000-2006 I believe. Great song I always found myself coming back to, shame I can't find it on youtube, but I'm glad this page has existed since 2011 to keep it from fading into nothingness, at least.

Interesting how its somehow survived through various generations, judging by this thread of people here, and yet it refuses to be forgotten by a select few.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wizard (Peter Jenkyns)
From: cnd
Date: 29 Mar 21 - 10:25 AM

Here's a fairly authoritative site which is a few pages deep on Google. Seems to me to be the most complete rendering of the song: http://members.madasafish.com/~cj_whitehound/Fanfic/J-song/The_Wizard.htm

From that page, the song was written in 1955. Here are the lyrics as they give them, though there is some commentary that there are two versions of the ending. The origin of the 'alternate' ending(s) is not explained.

THE WIZARD

1st half, universally agreed on:

With pointed hat and nails like claws
And a terrible smile on his face,
The wizard sits behind locked doors
In his cell in a mountain place;
Around the walls of his magic den,
Laid out in endless line
Are books of spells for him to cast
And bottles of magic wine.

With horny hands he waves his wand
And scatters upon the fire
A powder which burns with ghostly light
As the flames rise even higher;
His lips recite a magic spell,
The flames dance on the walls,
And shadows deepen on his face
As on his knees he falls.

2nd half, Verse for Ages version:

As I turn the pages of the picture book,
The scenes change endlessly –
Kings and queens and palaces
And galleons on the sea;
But whenever I look at the picture book,
I linger at the place
Where the wizard sits behind locked doors
In his cell in a mountain place,

With books of spells for him to cast
And bottles of magic wine;
And all the time his wicked eyes
Are gazing into mine.

2nd half, Novello & Co. Ltd. version:

As I turn the page of the picture book,
The scenes change endlessly –
Kings and queens and palaces
And galleons on the sea;
But whenever I look at the picture book,
I linger at the place
Where the wizard sits in his mountain cell
With a terrible smile on his face,

And books of magic spells to cast
And bottles of magic wine;
And all the time his wicked eyes
Are gazing into mine.

The references above are to Verse for Ages by Colleen Thatcher & Bernie Morris (Bronwyn Editions, 2009), page 189 and the original sheet music printed by Novello & Company, Limited 1955

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wizard (Peter Jenkyns)
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Apr 23 - 04:46 AM

Thank you!, I've had this vaguely in my mind for ages, and finally you helped me remember it all :)