Whimsical Songs

Subject: Whimsical Songs
From: GUEST,ImagiNathan
Date: 01 May 17 - 02:30 PM

When I was a child, I loved "Puff The Magic Dragon".

I am wondering about songs like that - mythical, whimsical songs - what can you recommend that's similar?

I don't mean "silly" songs or songs with gross imagery that make little kids, especially boys, laugh.

I'm looking for innocent, fantastical songs with a storyline, or songs that talk about fairies, gnomes, unicorns (NOT that song!), etc.

Subject: RE: Whimsical Songs
From: leeneia
Date: 01 May 17 - 04:38 PM

"Ting, ting, ting" by Lewis Carroll. I made up my own melody; you can make up yours. It is supposed to be accompanied by the chiming of bluebells.

`Rise, oh, rise! The daylight dies:
   The owls are hooting, ting, ting, ting!
Wake, oh, wake! Beside the lake
   The elves are fluting, ting, ting, ting!
Welcoming our fairy king,
   We sing, sing, sing.'


`Hear, oh, hear! From far and near
   A music stealing, ting, ting, ting!
Fairy bells adown the dells
   Are merrily pealing, ting, ting, ting!
Welcoming our fairy king
   We ring, ring, ring.

`See, oh, see! On every t'ee
   What lamps are shining, ting, ting, ting!
They are eyes of fiery flies
   To light our dining, ting, ting, ting!
Welcoming our fairy king
   They swing, swing, swing.

`Haste, oh, haste! to take and haste
   The dainties waiting, ting, ting, ting!
Honey-dew is stored--'

(At this point the singing is interrupted, and nobody knows what comes next.)

Subject: RE: Whimsical Songs
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 May 17 - 04:43 PM

Hey, leeneia, I recognize that one:

SYLVIE AND BRUNO.

I love that book! Not many know of it.
Carroll includes his own tune, at least in my edition.

That big old crazy-quilt of a book (in two parts)
has a LOT of glorious nonsensical poetry in it.

I am partial to the one
about the three badgers, and their father
--You shall have buns, he shrieked, if you behave! --
and the three herring and their mother,
and the happy ending at the seashore.

Carroll loved his nonsense.

Subject: RE: Whimsical Songs
From: Jackaroodave
Date: 01 May 17 - 05:18 PM

I feel that Edward Lear went all the way into the imaginary worlds he created.

I wouldn't actually call them "whimsy," because I think that they were real for him in a way that, say, Carroll's were not quite. "The Owl and the Pussycat" I suppose is his best known, but there is a plenitude of them, easily found in collections on the net.

In addition to his wonderful illustrations, according to Wikipedia he was a versatile musician who also composed tunes for his poems. Unfortunately, only those of "The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bò" and "The Pelican Chorus" survive. The former poem is on youtube as a song, but I do not know if it is Lear's tune.

I said "unfortunately," but for someone with a gift for musical fantasy, his poems present a great opportunity--one that others have seized.

Subject: RE: Whimsical Songs
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 01 May 17 - 05:42 PM

SYLVIE AND BRUNO. Ting ting ting / Rise, oh, rise! The daylight dies

".... When he had satisfied himself that the flowers were in tune, he seated himself on the mouse (he never seemed really comfortable anywhere else), and, looking up at me with a merry twinkle in his eyes, he began. By the way, the tune was rather a curious one, and you might like to try it for yourself, so here are the notes: "

Here is the link to the tune on gutenberg
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15373/15373-h/ 

Subject: RE: Whimsical Songs
From: Joe_F
Date: 05 May 17 - 04:02 PM

I think "Rooty Toot Toot for the Moon" is a better example of whimsy.

Subject: RE: Whimsical Songs
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 05 May 17 - 04:58 PM

Tingalayo

Discussion Thread - mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=8164

You cannot get more whimsical than a donkey eating with a knife and fork.

California Public School Textbook series

Subject: Index: Music Now and Long Ago (Silver Burdett)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Apr 04 - 04:46 PM

Book: Music Now and Long Ago
Author: Mursell, Tipton, Landeck, Nordholm, Freeburg, Watson
Illustration: Feodor Rojankovsky
Publisher: Silver Burdett
Series: Music for Living
Grade: 3
Date: 1956

Joe Offer's Songbook Thread mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=69027


Sincerely,
Gargoyle

The Brit addition in the thread about the underground is a grand spin-off.

Subject: RE: Whimsical Songs
From: oldhippie
Date: 06 May 17 - 11:24 AM

"Best Friend" (When I was growing up, my best friend was a unicorn.....)

Subject: RE: Whimsical Songs
From: oldhippie
Date: 06 May 17 - 11:29 AM

^^^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZrxt7R4vqE   ^^^

link goes with above post