Produced in 2001, A Hero is my reaction to the cult of hero worship, where I perceived the students I was teaching were applying the term “hero,” as well as any accompanying respect, to a set of people and behaviors that were ultimately, simply manufactured celebrityhood.
A Hero is about a student (Rudy who is faced with the choice of either honoring a pledge he made 6 years before, or helping his friends cheat on an important Math test. In 5th grade, following a breach of trust (Rudy cheated), the entire class pledged to never cheat again. However, now a high-stakes Math test is all that stands between several of his classmates getting into the high schools of their choice. When the answer sheet shows up, Rudy is faced with a real dilemma. While many of his friends and classmates would regard Rudy as a hero if he were to “help” them, two very important people would only consider him a hero if he didn’t help.
I am debating re-recording a number of songs because the range issues. I appreciate your comments. Enjoy.
The Songs
You Might Find A Hero: There is some nice layering of instruments here. As with all of these songs the arrangement is for voices that are generally higher than mine. You might notice that I use light bell sounds quite often to imply childhood and innocence. The challenge then is to find a way to color that innocence with a touch of tarnish, in a manner, to set up the plot.
Sung by the cast, You Might Be A Hero looks to go beyond cultural concepts of what a hero is. Ultimately, it’s about what a person does when no one is there to witness the action.
What Does A Hero Wear? I seem to include a waltz in each of my musicals. I also like to add beats to phrases, like one of my idols, Burt Bacharach. The first verse is my favorite. Because these were recorded for the student cast members, I emphasized the characters. I also placed them in keys that matched the cast members voices.
Like the first song, What Does A Hero Wear? takes on the sometimes distorted image of a contemporary hero.
Dear Mrs. Upson: Now here we have a complicated song. I wonder if I was influenced by the modular songwriting form (think Good Vibrations). The song is a flashback to the day in 5th grade when one of them cheated on a spelling test. The class decides to pledge to never cheat again. The long “pledge” section reminds me of other polyphonic sections/songs I have written (see Spice Song in Stranger Than Fiction). The last section is based on a chord pattern in a Shostakovich piano concerto.
What About Rudy?: Ok, I guess I had been listening to some Sondheim. I like how he keeps the music so simple when the singers have a lot to do, and this song definitely has a lot going on. When we performed it, the choreographer had the cast members holding phones and doing a rather involved set of movements.
The song takes place the morning of the test. The class members are trying to act calm and collected, but deep inside they are concerned about whether Rudy will help or not. Each student has their own reason for wanting to pass the test.
Hero and Leander: The melody comes from a Béla Fleck song, The Over Grown Waltz. It is such a lovely piece of music.
The students have ideas about being a hero. A younger student tells the others that he is actually writing a report on the original “hero”, who was actually a woman. This is the story of Hero and Leander.
Easy: Just about as laid back as I can get. The bridge, sung by Jackie, is a little out of character, but I needed something to communicate Rudy’s dilemma.
Six: Despite the anger of the character singing the song, I really like the irony of having a pretty piece of music conveying a messy idea. Again, something I gleaned from listening to Sondheim. The singer is commenting on what he perceives as a breach of trust involving his parents and their divorce.
Sean Breen 