A while ago I wrote a post praising the music of Daniel Dorff – Dorff has composed music for a number of children’s tales for narrator and chamber orchestra. My kids simply adore the pieces, and love to listen to them in the car. More importantly, I adore the pieces because they are fun to hear and aren’t the typical “check your brain at the door” children’s music which quite frankly is the bane of my existence.

After spending many hours in the car with my two kids this summer, I want to take a few posts to highlight some of the music which has made those journeys a bit more enjoyable. Along with the Dorff CD, Bridge Records also has released a CD of the music of Stefan Wolpe which has another of our favorite musical tales. The story is similar to Pete Seeger‘s “Abiyoyo”, but the music is infinitely more interesting. Seeger’s tale is essentially two phrases of music that repeat ad nauseam. Wolpe, on the other hand, has written a 20-minute tone poem / opera. The narrator speaks the story while the piano paints the pictures; the characters have their own short arias; there are musical leitmotifs; the piano score is not simple – modern, but playful.

I think we adults are often foolish in believing that children are incapable of understanding or enjoying complex things. It’s a disservice to them to expose them only to Barney songs, rather than music that they can continue to enjoy now as well as when they are old and gray. So when the kids are whiny, put this on and everyone will be a little bit happier.

This year, in the American east, March has come in like a lamb with warm sun, but now that beastly lion (cold wind) has come back to bit us on the bum. Reminds me of a delightful musical setting of a set of Aesop’s fables by American composer Anthony Plog.