Texts have been influencing composers of choral music for centuries. Some composers manipulate the text through the use of form and compositional technique, whereas others rely on highlighting specific words. Still others work to convey emotions or to conjure aural images for the listener. Expressive poetry, such as The Tyger and The Lamb, two poems by William Blake (1757-1827), has inspired several composers to set these texts to music, among them John Tavener (1944-2013), René Clausen (b. 1953), and Andrew Miller (b. 1983). This dissertation focuses on the choral settings of Blake’s The Tyger and The Lamb by these three composers. It offers an understanding of their compositional thought processes, a key element for the interpretation and performance of these works. It is only through careful consideration of these thought processes that choral conductors can ensure an informed performance of this literature. This study draws on interviews I have conducted with René Clausen and Andrew Miller, as well as on other scholars’ interviews with the late John Tavener. Furthermore, I have analyzed the compositional style and updated previous research on each of the composers. Each composer sets Blake’s texts in a different manner, however all approached the compositional process through the lens of imagery. Clausen’s, Miller’s, and Tavener’s compositional techniques create aural images and, in doing so, rely entirely upon their musical backgrounds and belief systems. In Clausen’s settings of The Tyger and The Lamb, he colors the melodic, harmonic, and textural material to reflect the nuances of each animal. For Tavener, his Orthodox faith guides his settings with the chant-like melody, ison, and use of canon, retrograde, and inversion. For Miller, he iv highlights the emotion in the music to demonstrate the “core” meaning of the poetry. Observing these three contemporary composers setting the same texts in different styles offers a glimpse into their creative process and gives conductors critical information for performance.