''Just So Songs'' is a collection of twelve poems from
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
's ''
Just So Stories
''Just So Stories for Little Children'' is a 1902 collection of origin stories by the British author Rudyard Kipling. Considered a classic of children's literature, the book is among Kipling's best known works.
Kipling began working on the ...
'' set to music by
Sir Edward German in 1903. It consists of musical settings for voice and piano of "When the Cabin port holes", "The Camel's Hump", "This Uninhabited Island", "I keep six honest serving men", "I am the most wise Baavian", "Kangaroo and Dingo", "Merrow Down", "Of all the tribe of
Tegumai", "The Riddle", "The First Friend", "There never was a queen like Balkis", and "Rolling Down to Rio".
Publication history
The work was originally published under the title ''Just So Song Book'' by Macmillan and Co. as well as Doubleday, Page and Co. in New York. Novello published the settings of "Merrow Down", "The First Friend", and "Rolling Down to Rio" individually in 1904.
"The Camel's Hump" and "Rolling Down to Rio" proved to be particularly popular, especially the latter. Both had a number of arrangements produced several years later by the composer for various choral and part-song configurations.
Late in his life, German agreed to have ''Just So Songs'' arranged for full chorus and orchestra, but he had retired from composing so he chose the younger composer John West to orchestrate and arrange. West, however, died before making any progress and German, too, died before settling on another collaborator. The arrangement for chorus and orchestra was finally completed by Dr.
Gordon Jacob
Gordon Percival Septimus Jacob CBE (5 July 18958 June 1984) was an English composer and teacher. He was a professor at the Royal College of Music in London from 1924 until his retirement in 1966, and published four books and many articles about ...
in 1947.
References
*{{cite book, last=Rees, first=Brian, year=1986, title=A Musical Peacemaker: The Life and Work of Sir Edward German, location=Abbotsbrook, publisher=Kensal Press
External links
Musical Settings of Rudyard Kipling
by Philip Scowcroft
Just So Songs
Poetry by Rudyard Kipling