Many of us this week have been thinking perhaps more than usual how precious our children are to us, and in that spirit, here’s to the children in our lives, and here are the children of our most generous backers and most special friends, children who brighten our days and inspire our work.
Song List
We had a a rehearsal yesterday with our principal singers (they were both 4-year-olds, but yesterday Sherman turned five – the rehearsal took place after her birthday party…!) and we are so very excited for our upcoming studio session on Saturday, when we will be recording two of the most challenging songs, emotionally. They are “Alas, Poor Yorick” sung of course by Hamlet (Sohyun’s and Sherman’s favourite of all my songs so far), and “Butterflies” sung by Achilles from Troilus and Cressida, my personal favourite mostly because I think the structure and the lyrics are very elegant.
We have a feeling Julian’s going to be amazing!
So while we’re talking about songs, I thought I’d just note here the shortlist of all the songs we think will be in the album, Volume 1 of KinderBard: songs for children etc. etc. Many of you will have seen this list on our Kickstarter page, but I wanted to have it here too for posterity.
I Don’t Know What to Say sung by Cordelia from King Lear
It’s Not My Fault sung by Caliban from The Tempest
One Thing I Can’t Catch sung by Helena from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Dirty Laundry sung by Falstaff from The Merry Wives of Windsor
I’m Going to Make You Love Me sung by Petruchio & Katherina from The Taming of the Shrew
You Treat Me Like a Football sung by Dromio of Ephesus from Comedy of Errors
A Horse with Wings sung by Imogen from Cymbeline
Alas, Poor Yorick sung by Hamlet from Hamlet
Crocodile Tears sung by Queen Margaret from Henry VI, part 2
What Is This Thing I Found? sung by the Old Shepherd & Perdita from The Winter’s Tale
Butterflies sung by Achilles from Troilus and Cressida
It’s Just a Name sung by Juliet from Romeo and Juliet
Smelly Dog sung by Launce from Two Gentlemen of Verona
I Don’t Like You, Really sung by Benedick & Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing
Let’s Pretend (to Be Happy) sung by Rosalind from As You Like It
And here’s the video that originally accompanied this list – a little presentation about our creative process (including a sneak preview of our new song One Thing I Can’t Catch performed by Sherman)
La Basilique du Sacré Coeur and Falstaff
Spent the afternoon sitting in the Square Louise Michel, that hilly garden with steps leading up to the Sacré Coeur, the hot sun streaming down the back of my neck, writing a new song by Falstaff called “Dirty Laundry.” It’s basically about playing hide and seek, hiding in a laundry basket, and finding yourself among the kind of dirty clothes and disgusting smells whose descriptions never fail to delight small children. Writing about stinky socks and greasy napkins and soiled underwear made me think of The Twits.