Dreams for Sale

About

These four short songs were written with a view to providing material for very young singers, although they have probably ended up a little more challenging than intended. However, they are written with a fairly narrow pitch range (mostly within the octave from middle C up), and with nothing too challenging in the rhythms. The accompaniments are simple and supportive, while only rarely actually doubling the vocal line.

All four texts are traditional lullabies. In the first two cases they are simply from 'Anonymous' sources, while the third is of African origin, and the fourth is Canadian. The first text is nautical in its theme – all on board a boat are asleep and the singer sings to the fishes while thinking of '...the ones I love best'. The second text is a little piece of nonsense about the Man in the Moon. Wanting a drink of milk, he tries to dip into the Milky Way – however two of the constellations (the Big Bear and the Little Bear) see him and frighten him with their growling. Needless to say, he spills his milk! The third text is a short African poem, which contrasts the night's wind and rain with a mother's prayer for her child's safety. The music turns to a more dynamic style, reminiscent of calypso rhythms. The fourth text is a picture of a mother gently singing while rocking her baby. The middle stanza of this is the very familiar 'Rockabye baby, on the treetop...' known throughout the English speaking world.