Files to download
A ZIP package of all files except audio- right click here!
There are separate song files for each of the five songs in both .not and .mid form,, as well as different versions (.rtf, .pdf, and .docx) of the text files and vocal sheets. All these are included in the .zip package.
Audio files:
These are high-quality mp3s if you need audio accompaniment.
.not files – These are files that I composed and arranged, and can be played in Notation Composer or other Notation Software products, or print the parts for live musicians to accompany your singers.
.mid files – I include the exported .mid files in case you want to use a sequencer to work on the sound.
PDF of the vocal parts – I “printed” these from Notation Composer using PDF Creator (from sourceforge.org).
Full Text – This file is provided in the event you want to print up a program that contains the full text of narrative and song lyrics. Also includes the accompanying free clip art that I included in our program.
The narrative – Included as a separate document for the narrator/s.
About the musical
If We Could Talk With the Animals is an original musical that I wrote for Christmas in 2010. It consists of five songs in varying styles with narration interspersed with the songs. It can be done with a big budget (eg. full costumes, live musicians to play the score, set with props, etc.), low budget (eg. masks, no props, recorded or synthesizer music) or no budget (a capella!). You could add stage movements and props or just narrate and sing the songs - it's quite flexible, and the production is really up to you and your troupe. There are no royalty fees or anything involved, but I would love to hear from you if you decide to perform it.
This musical originated from a conversation with my daughter, when we were discussing what to do for the next year’s Christmas musical. My kids have this habit of thinking that I will write and arrange all the music that we do, and since it’s pretty fun stuff, I generally do it. We had done a number of re-arrangements of lots of traditional Christmas songs for the past few years, and I wanted to do something different.
We homeschool, and so I’m around my kids a lot. That experience has really drilled into me the sense of perspective – that how I see something may not be how everyone else sees the same situation. I started thinking about the animals involved in the nativity story. What might the donkey who carried Mary have thought of this humble couple from Nazareth? He wouldn’t have had the prejudices of understanding the "situation" – he was just a simple beast of burden doing his job, and looking forward to his feed at the end of the trip. How would the camels and horses have reacted to this trek across the miles? What kind of pet did Herod have? And sheep – these animals are not exactly smart, and they shy at the slightest provocation. What would they have done when the hosts of heaven appeared and blew away the darkness of the night? And what did the animals think when they went to eat dinner one night in the stable, but instead found a warm little bundle wrapped up in cloths? We obviously can’t know exactly, but it definitely made for a fun compositional exercise!
Music musings...
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Ever wanted to write a song? I did, and found some really cool software to help me do it.