Aesop

In the early 1990’s I collaborated with a fellow faculty member who taught English. Our musicals tended, not surprisingly, to take on literature. I had used Aesop’s fables as the basis of a number of rather silly songs that I sang for the younger children. As the boys grew older, they retained a fondness for the stories. So, along with my co-worker, we devised a pretty flimsy plot around the real-life situation of the historic Aesop, a witty social commentator who got away with poking fun at the rich and powerful by using mostly animals and other natural elements in place of the targets of his commentaries.

In our little convoluted musical, we take on Aesop’s own situation as a valued story teller, and political adversary. Tell Me A Story is a child’s plea to Aesop for one more great tale, while Wanna Fly Away is Aesop’s own reaction to being imprisoned. Of particular interest to me is one additional song that for the life of me I cannot recall. I included it under the name Mystery Song. Hopefully someone from that group of students can provide some insight.

What I noticed in going through some old recordings is that the beats and sounds reflect the new consumer sound module products that were really starting to flood the home studio market, particularly the Roland MT-32, a device I overused for years. The original recordings were recorded in keys that were to match the voices of the student cast members. I recently re-did them with only piano accompaniment. For those who are interested, I do have digitized copies of the original demo tapes with their arrangements. Enjoy

No script at this time!

THE SONGS

Tell Me A Story: As noted above, there is no script and unfortunately, no video of the show. By the lyrics it is clear that Aesop has come to tell stories and each of the children has their favorite. It is a multi-part song with a distinct middle section in 6/8 time that is quite difficult to sing.

I think every musical I write must have at least waltz. In the original version, the middle section is quite a bit faster, with a 6/8 feeling. I’m not sure if I like the rhyme of water with ought-ta.

There’s A Man Who’s Coming: Occasionally Aesop would be called to testify on the behalf of a friend or colleague. Inevitably, Aesop would tell a fable that in some way demonstrated his friends innocence, or at least advocated for a more lenient sentence.

The original has kind of a “My Sharona” feel that moves into a 50’s rock style.

That’s What I Would Do: I think that this song has to do with Aesop deciding if he should recant his political views or stay behind bars.

TWIWD is the most melodic song in the show. As I listened to my catalog of songs, I noticed quite a few musical tendencies. In this song, I wrote a verse that pretty much hangs around one note. When the songs reaches the chorus, the range increases dramatically. It is the same device used in the following song, “Wanna Fly Away.”

Wanna Fly Away: Somehow this song fits into the plot. It is about a young person who simply wants to get out. Perhaps the story had a connection to some of the many Aesop fables that involve crows, a symbol of freedom.

The songs has the feel of being influenced by the Police, or some other early 80’s alternative rock act. I’ll be honest…it doesn’t seem to work, but I love it anyway.

Mystery Song: As I stated above, I have no idea how this song fits into the plot. I know that it is part of the show because I found it on a cassette with instrumental versions of the other songs. I posted it here in the original instrumentation.

The soft-jazz vibe is unlike anything else I have ever written…and I really like it!