~ Peter and the Wolf ~

This is an Alaska parody of "Peter and the Wolf"

Original music score by Sergie Prokofiev 1936

Story adapted by James Riordan and Brian Hutton

Music adapted by Joseph A. Craig

~ additional production notes ~

Overture sketch.
Acoustic guitar / alternate overture
N: Each animal in the story is represented by a different instrument. For instance, Maggie the bird will (can) be played by the flute / penny whistle / recorder / harmonica (C harp).
N: Sam the fish (duck) (can be) is played by the oboe, triangle / bells, kazoo, harmonica.
N: Freya the (cat) fox by the clarinet / recorder / cello.
N: Peter’s mother (grandfather) by the bass / bass drum.

Acoustic guitar / alternate MamaMoose
N: Peter by the strings.
N: Bull moose antler clattering sounded rhythm instruments.
N: And the Wolf, Wolf will be played by the french horns / guitars / conga drums.
Part 1:
N: Are you comfy? Are you ready? Here comes the story.
N: One morning, while Mama Moose was munching, her calf Peter, a gangly little guy, snuck out of the forest and into a large clearing. Mama and Peter themes.

N: High up on a branch of a cottonwood tree in the middle of the clearing Peter saw his friend Maggi, the Magpie, , “Good morning’ squawked Maggie. Maggie and Peter themes.

N: Out of an eddy of a creek bubbling through the clearing popped the head of his fishy friend Sam. “Good morning Peter” he gurgled. Sam’s theme.

N: When Maggie saw Sam she glided down from the tree, to the bank of the creek.

M: “Sam, Sam you finny fool, aren’y you afraid you’ll fall all the way through so deep the drink (?), she sqwawkety squawked.

S: “Maggie Maggie, you worry bird haven’t you heard how hot the ball above ? “ “You’ll flame your feathers !” he gurgley winked. Maggie and Sam’s themes.

N: They squawked and gurgled to and fro. Taunting and teasing. Hopping foot to foot. Popping up and diving
below. Peter grinned a moosey grin, just to see the silly argument they were in. Maggie and Sam’s themes.

N: Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye Peter saw something coming slowly towards them through the tall grass. It was Freya the Fox! Freya’s theme.

N: “How I love bird for breakfast” Thought Freya, licking her lips. “I will grab her when she isn’t watching.
Freya crept towards Magpie and Sam, as they argued at the edge of the water. Combine Freya, Maggie and Sam themes.

P:“Watch out!”
N: Bleated Peter. Maggie, having seen the Fox, flew high up into the cottonwood tree (?). Sam finned fast to the center of the creek. Maggie and Sam themes go crazy !

N: Looking up at Maggie with disappointment, Freya decided that it was not worth the trouble. “Why bother, she will only fly away before I reach her on that branch. A bird on the ground is easily found. A bird in the tree not so easy for me.” Freya theme.

N: Just then Peter’s Mama came into the clearing,
She had noticed Peter was nowhere to be seen and she’d come to find where he had been. She was not happy to find him in the clearing.
M: Peter ! “How many times must I warn you not to wander out into (this meadow) such open spaces on your own? scolded Mama Moose. “It’s dangerous! What would you do if a (the) wolf came out of the forest?” Mama, Peter and a hint of Wolf themes.

N: But curious young calves like Peter pay no never mind to their Mama’s words. They ain’t afraid of no wolves.
So Peter’s Mama led him back into the safety of the well wooded forest. Mama and Peter’s themes blended.

Part 2
N: As soon as Peter had left his friends, a big hungry wolf came into the clearing. Wolf theme.

N: When Freya saw the wolf, she too scampered up the tree, joining the bird. Combine Freya and Maggie themes.

N: Sam was the last to see the wolf. Startled, he flipped right out of the water and flopped onto the bank. Sam wriggled about in the grass as the wolf crept closer and closer and closer. Sam and Wolf themes mix.

When he reached poor Sam, the wolf pounced and gulped and in a flash had swallowed him whole.

N: And this is how things stood: the bird was perched on one branch, the fox on another. The wolf circling
round and round the tree, looking up at them with greedy eyes. Wolf theme.

N: Peter, watched quietly from a hiding place behind some rocks at the edge of the clearing.
P: “I must do something to help my friends.” Peter’s theme.

N: Plucky Peter took a running charge at the big scary wolf. But you know how it goes with a gangly young moose, all knobbly knees and wobbly legs ! Peter theme goes crazy !

N: Tripping and stumbling Tossing and tumbling end over end and up and landing in a branch with the bird and the cat (fox) high up in the tree. Peter, Freya and Maggie themes mixed.

N: The wolf walked round and round the base of the the tree, licking his lips. What a meal a young moose would make. Wolf theme continues.

N: Peter whispered to his friend Maggie; “Please fly down and distract Wolf so Freya and I can escape. So Maggie did just that. Circling the wolf’s head, careful to stay just out of reach. Maggie and Wolf themes tangled up together.

N: Maggie almost touched the wolf’s nose with her wing while the wolf snapped angrily at her, this side and that. How she teased that wolf! And how the wolf wanted to catch her! But Maggie was quick and clever, and the wolf simply couldn't do a thing about it. Snapping and spinning, spinning and snapping, the wolf was getting dizzier and dizzier still. Maggie and Wolf theme.

N: Peter and Freya watched from their perch above, waiting for the right moment to make their move, when suddenly there was a loud CRACK! Audio: crack !

N: And the moose, the fox and the branch they were sitting on came tumbling down, landing on the wolf. Peter, Freya, and Wolf themes mixed all jumbled up.

N: All atwist and atangle in Peter’s gangly legs the wolf tugged wildly trying to get out from under. But the weight of a moose and a fox and a branch is more than a wolf, and a tired wolf at that, and dizzy, too. (wolf) He didn’t have a chance. Peter, Feya, Maggie and Wolf themes together.

N: Just then three bull moose, having heard the racket, came rumbling out of the forest, all bellowing grunts and antlers clacking. Moose Antlers theme.

N: But Peter, still perched atop the the wolf, said.
P: ”Don’t stomp or stampede. There is no need. Maggie and I have caught the wolf. We are sure that she will agree to leave the forest if you promise to do her no harm”
N: And the wolf agreed. “Fanfare” of all the themes together.

N: Now just imagine, just imagine the triumphant procession. Peter at the head. After him the bull moose escorting the embarrassed wolf away. And winding up the whole procession Freya trotting and Mama. Moose shaking her head. "What if Peter hadn't caught the wolf? What then?” (oh my)
Freya and Momma Moose themes.

N: (but) No one was listening, above them Maggie flew proudly squawking. Maggie theme with Peter, Freya, Momma and Antlers supporting.

M: “How brave we are, Peter and (I) me! We caught the wolf!” Ensemble of themes woven over overture chord progression.

N: Now, as you wander in the world, if you should happen to come across a Wolf with a little dizzy in the eyes and a gurgle in her belly, you just may have found our fishy friend Sam having a little fun with the beast that swallowed him whole in her hurry to feast. Theme of Sam and Wolf mixed.

Closing theme of Peter / overture.

The End

Additional composer notes.

The original Prokofiev orchestral themes are parodied towards a more Americana melodic style suited for easy performance by a ‘campground orchestra.’ My aim here is to include motifs from classic Americana children’s melodies as each of the story’s musical examples are developed. These motifs come from both my own remembered melodies from childhood and Let Music Ring, an American elementary public school music text.

The ‘campground orchestra’ is made up of singing voices and instruments that we’d find all through the Alaska outdoors and regular classroom settings too; all manner of stringed instruments; fiddle, violin, viola, cello and bass, piano, guitar, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer and electric bass too as well as wind instruments; harmonica, horns, penny whistle, kazoo, recorders, and rhythm instruments such as; various drums, washboard, congas and so all manner of percussion instruments.

During live performances of our story the instruments included in the orchestra are to be presented as in the original production; identified with each character and demonstrated by each individual performer.

A classroom workbook is under development that combines; the narrative’s text, vocabulary and its spelling, the written music, incomplete line sketches of the characters to be completed by students and colorizing of the sketches, both by ‘colors by number’ or improvised, imaginary depictions. As the story unfolds, narrator questions to the learners are included to stimulate both verbal dialogue and written responses in the workbook’s formatted spaces as the story unfolds.

Additional academic elements for this workbook can include spelling of vocabulary terms, learning the ‘signing’ of the letters and words, a written vocabulary measure and matching definitions. In addition to the inclusion of the art elements described above, teachers can examine a student’s book for its strong elements and create specific art related skill development studies and projects so as to individualize instruction for each learner.

These additional pathways can be explored both individually or into larger works in collaboration with classmates. A literary example that expands the narrative includes the writing in of one’s own pets into the narrative. An art example of a collaborative class project would be creating a very large landscape painting on a classroom wall.

An additional element of this project under consideration is to create an ‘e-book’ version with audio playback; an audio book of the complete story with both a written, notated musical score and an ‘I-pad’ version of the score for the modern performing artist’s convenience.

Composer / musical director: Joseph A. Craig
A brief academic biography of Mr. Craig at:

https://www.understandyourmusic.com/pages/emg/glossary/bio.htm

email: jacmuse@ak.net
text / telephone: 907.310.7269

Comments or questions ?

jacmuse@ak.net