Work
Pirate Story
for SATB choir and piano
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About
The poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson remains popular and well-loved, although it was only in the latter part of the 20th century that his literary achievements were again being more positively regarded. Early attempts at careers in engineering and law, soon gave way to a life devoted to writing. Dogged by ill-health, he eventually settled in Samoa, dying at the early age of 44. His literature is now seen to be on a level with Joseph Conrad (who he influenced) and Henry James, and his poetry book for children, A Child’s Garden of Verses, is a perennial favourite with younger readers. Following on from Keepsake Mill and Escape at Bedtime, Pirate Story again draws its text from A Child’s Garden of Verses. Stevenson’s poetry is eminently suitable for musical setting, with simple rhythms and generally regular rhyme schemes. This poem presents us with three children imagining their playground to be a boat at sea. They dream of where their adventures will take them, but always knowing that home is not far away and '…the garden is the shore'.
Difficulty note
Community and school choirs
Text note
Text by Robert Louis Stevenson