The Storyteller
Dennis Livingston
About this work:
The nature of the relationship between Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and his muse, Alice Liddell, has fascinated Carroll scholars and fans since the time he became a renowned author of the Wonderland stories supposedly first spun out in the fateful afternoon Alice and her sisters passed with Carroll on a Thames River boat trip, July 4, 1862. Clearly, Carroll was charmed by Alice and she, like so many children, was enchanted by him. Beyond that lies much speculation.
The British film “Dreamchild,” which partly inspires this song, follows the traditional image of Carroll as a shy recluse, comfortable only with children, possibly even a closet pedophile. More recent scholarship takes much of this image as mythical, noting that Carroll had many adult friends, engaged with a wide circle of Victorian cultural figures and, for what it is worth, lived in a time when Victorians had different views of children than we do. This song, in which an elderly Alice recollects her time with Carroll, reflects the ambiguity still resonant in the ever-elusive backstory of Alice and her great friend.
Year composed: 1998
Duration: 00:05:39
Ensemble type: Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble:Solo Voice with Keyboard
Instrumentation: 1 Piano, ,1 Medium Voice soloist(s)
Instrumentation notes: This song is most suitable for a woman performer in any vocal range. Piano-Vocal sheet music in any key is available by email request. See my website for more info on this and other cabaret/art songs.