It’s well known that I work a lot with music and musicians, painting live on stage with orchestras. And while I was working on Nen and the Lonely Fisherman, by Ian Eagleton, there were several “classical” works that inspired me as I illustrated. I thought I’d share some of these, as they could be a great thing to use in the classroom, or at home, as an inspiration for further work, or just as “theme music” for a story that features song, and the sea, so potently.
When I paint or draw to music, I start when it starts, and stops when it stops, and it’s a great way to really focus the children on a task. Watercolour is obviously a good thing to use, but you do need good paper. I used Gouache in the book, but it’s slower paint to use. See what you have in your art cupboard!
So here are five fantastic works to explore with children who have enjoyed Nen and Earnest’s story, with YouTube links to enjoy…
1. Rimsky-Korsakov: Sadko
A famous Russian tale, about a minstrel who is believed to carry bad luck, and is thrown from his ship. He finds himself in the Sea-King’s realm, where he meets the Sea-Princess Volkova. She falls in love with Sadko, but he already has a wife. And so Volkova become a river (The river Volkov) so she can be near Sadko’s home, and hear his singing. You can find the full story in my own book, “Koshka’s Tales” (Graffeg).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc2yFrZIa4s
2. Dvořák: Rusalka
This is an opera based on The Little Mermaid. Rusalka, a river-sprite rather than a sea-maid, is given legs by a witch, and loses her tongue, just like in Andersen’s tale. But when she fails to win the love of the prince, she is cursed. Although the prince realises he loves her after all, it is too late – he dies when she kisses him.
Before all this, she sings a “Song to the Moon”, in which she tells the moon how she longs for her handsome prince to find her. I wonder if Nen’s song sounded anything like this?
A couple of years ago, I did a painting to music session in an SEN school – and this was the piece the children loved the most. Perhaps because it has a voice?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vajeRsUV9ZI
3. Mendelssohn – Fingal’s Cave
The story of Giant Finn McCool is well known in Scotland and Ireland, and the “Giant’s Causeway” is supposed to be the stepping stones between countries. The music doesn’t tell Finn’s story, but instead describes stormy seas around the Hebrides, where Fingal’s Cave can be found.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jufn41KMU3w
4. Debussy – La Mer
There is no story here, just a lovely evocation of the sea, in her many moods. There are three movements: Dawn to Noon; Play of the Waves, Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn0tZHOuTKQ
5. Britten – Four Sea Interludes. These are from an opera called Peter Grimes, a sad story of a lonely man who is accused of murder by gossiping villagers. The music here is for orchestra and describes the sea on the East Coast, where I grew up, at different times of the day: Dawn; Sunday Morning; Moonlight; Storm.
You can see me painting to the final interlude, “Storm”, here;
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08fv566
If you want to listen to the others, you’ll find a complete performance here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qseeG0Wlrbo
I look forward to seeing the children’s art on Twitter/Instagram etc. Do tag me:
@mrjamesmayhew
#NenAndTheLonelyFisherman
If you like the idea of painting to music, watch out for my next book, in September: One Upon A Tune.
