Words and music by Dennis Livingston PLAY THE ORIGINAL DEMO RECORDING    Demo singer: Ashley Lieberman Demo pianist: Doug Hammer   READ THE LYRICS   PERFORMANCE TIPS: Length of song: 5:36 Song style/genre: Moderate tempo with a classical underpinning Key(s): B flat major to C major to G major Note range (Low/High): G below middle C to C above middle C About the song: The nature of the relationship between Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and his muse, Alice Liddell, has fascinated Carroll scholars and fans since the time he became a renowned author of the Wonderland stories supposedly first spun out in the fateful afternoon Alice and her sisters passed with Carroll on a Thames River boat trip, July 4, 1862. Clearly, Carroll was charmed by Alice and she, like so many children, was enchanted by him. Beyond that lies much speculation. The British film "Dreamchild," which partly inspires this song, follows the traditional image of Carroll as a shy recluse, comfortable only with children, possibly even a closet pedophile. More recent scholarship takes much of this image as mythical, noting that Carroll had many adult friends, engaged with a wide circle of Victorian cultural figures and, for what it is worth, lived in a time when Victorians had different views of children than we do. This song, in which an elderly Alice recollects her time with Carroll, reflects the ambiguity still resonant in the ever-elusive backstory of Alice and her great friend. Gender point of view: By its nature, this piece is most obviously for a woman to sing. Yet, I would not ban a man from trying this one on, if you can bring yourself off as a plausible Alice (and what is one of Carroll's themes, if not morphing identities?). If you want to see a list of the astonishingly diverse array of music inspired by Wonderland, check out Markus Lang's Musical Compositions Inspired by Lewis Carroll For more background on Lewis Carroll and his work: Lewis Carroll Society Of North America   CONTACT DENNIS  to request sheet music and/or a CD or MP3 for this song. The message should include your name, address, phone (optional), e-mail and your website, if any.

Back to SONGS main page