1. Tobias Picker: Fantastic Mr Fox
Inspired by Roald Dahl‘s 1970 children’s book about a clever fox who outsmarts three mean-spirited farmers to provide for his family, Tobias Picker’s opera premiered in Los Angeles in 1998. It’s an unusual score, full of off-beat rhythms, with a whiff of Stravinskian neo-classicism.
2. Francis Poulenc: The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant
Next in our survey of classical music inspired by children’s books: based on Jean de Brunhoff’s beloved children’s book, Poulenc’s work combines narration with piano music to tell the story of Babar, the baby elephant whose mother is tragically killed by a huntsman. Poulenc wrote it during the summer of 1940, while he was visiting relatives in Brive-la-Gaillarde. Seeking entertainment, the children there encouraged him to ‘play’ the story of Babar on the piano. What emerged was a score full of charm and variety, including a lullaby, a reverie, a galop, and a nocturne.
- Read: 5 pieces of classical music inspired by fairytales
- Read: Preview of Ballet Shoes | Ruth Brill on why choreographing this year’s production of ‘Ballet Shoes’ for London Children’s Ballet feels like coming ‘full circle’
3. Howard Blake: The Snowman
Originally a children’s wordless picture book by Raymond Briggs, this musical story is often performed as a film with a live orchestra. And, in the UK, at least, the score by Howard Blake is the most famous of all pieces of classical music inspired by children’s books. Contrary to what many might think, though, Blake wrote the whole score without once meeting Raymond Briggs, the creator of the original children’s picture book on which the film is based. And the two, apparently, held very different attitudes to continue to hold different attitudes to the Snowman phenomenon. Briggs, who hated Christmas, allegedly refers to it as ‘the ’S’ word’, and wanted little to do with it. Blake, meanwhile, however, was obviously proud of it. ‘Everything I write is melodic; i believe that the essential ingredient of all great music is melody,’ he once said in an interview.
4. Oliver Knussen: Where the Wild Things Are
Based on Maurice Sendak’s iconic picture book Where the Wild Things Are, this 1980 opera was a collaborative effort between Knussen and Sendak himself, who wrote the libretto for the opera.
The opera closely follows the plot of the original story, focusing on Max, a young boy who, after misbehaving, is sent to bed without supper. His bedroom then transforms into a magical forest, and he sails to an island inhabited by the Wild Things2. The opera, however, expands on the original 338-word book, allowing for a more detailed musical exploration of the narrative. Knussen incorporated musical quotations from various composers, including Debussy and Mussorgsky, adding depth to the score. Sendak, meanwhile, gave names to the Wild Things, naming them after his relatives: Tzippy, Moishe, Aaron, Emile, and Bernard.
5. David Bruce’s: The Firework Maker’s Daughter
Rounding off our list of classical music inspired by children’s books: based on Philip Pullman’s novella of the same name, Bruce’s 2013 tells the story of Lila, a young girl who wants to become a firework maker like her father. The tuneful, vibrant score blends various musical influences and techniques, among them Eastern scales and elements reminiscent of Chinese, Indian, and Indonesian music. All of which makes for a family-friendly take on the original story, even if some critics felt that the result lacked a certain bite.