A Muskrat Lullaby facts for kids
A Muskrat Lullaby is a fun, short opera created especially for young people. It tells a story in music and song, based on the children's book Mama Don't Allow by Thacher Hurd. This opera was written by the composer Edward Barnes.
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What is A Muskrat Lullaby?
An opera is like a play where the story is told mostly through singing, with music playing along. A Muskrat Lullaby is a "one-act" opera, meaning it's a single, continuous performance without breaks. It's designed to be engaging and easy to follow for audiences aged 12-15. The whole show lasts about 25 minutes.
How the Opera Started
The idea for A Muskrat Lullaby came from the Los Angeles Opera, a big opera company in California. They asked Edward Barnes to create this new work. Funding for the opera came from the Milken Family Foundation, which helps support many educational and artistic projects. The very first performance of A Muskrat Lullaby happened in Los Angeles in 1993.
Where the Opera Has Been Performed
After its first show, A Muskrat Lullaby became quite popular. Many other opera companies and music schools across the United States have performed it. Some of these include:
- The Lyric Opera of Kansas City
- Opera Columbus
- Orlando Opera
- Manhattan School of Music
- Mercer University
- University of Akron
It has been enjoyed by many young audiences and families in different cities.
Meet the Characters
The story of A Muskrat Lullaby features several interesting characters, each with their own singing part:
- Miles: A muskrat, who is the main character. He is sung by a tenor, a male singer with a higher voice.
- Bird: Sung by a soprano, a female singer with a high voice.
- Spider: Sung by a mezzo-soprano, a female singer with a middle-range voice.
- Toad: Sung by a bass, a male singer with a very low voice.
- Boss Alligator: Sung by a baritone, a male singer with a mid-range voice.
- Alligator Gang: A group of alligators, often sung by children.
- Townspeople: Other characters in the story, also often sung by children.
The Music of the Opera
The music for A Muskrat Lullaby is played by a small group of instruments. It can be performed with just a piano. Sometimes, an electric keyboard is used along with the piano. Percussion instruments, like drums or cymbals, also add to the rhythm and excitement of the music. This simple setup makes it easier for many different groups to perform the opera.
