The Walrus and the Carpenter mj266 (2005)
A school-friend of Malcolm Hill was abused by a local clergyman and the church authorities tried to cover up the incident – this led the boy and his very wealthy family to distrust all church authorities – they became active Quakers. In response to this injustice, when in 2005 Malcolm read Sir Shane Leslie’s anti-cleric interpretation of the two Alice books, he was keen to promote this aspect in a series of ‘warped cantatas’. While the chorus in a traditional cantata will tend to sing commentaries on the soloists’ main text, Malcolm Hill gives the story to the choir, and soloists are used as ‘erudite footnotes’. Just as the two Alice books contain numerous quotations, which are frequently slightly amended, so the composition includes many musical references to other compositions.
The main plot of this work is that Tum and Twee are about to fight over a ruined rattle, but are interrupted when a monstrous crow is seen. They then launch into one of their favorite songs, The Walrus and the Carpenter. This is commented on by a Minstrel, then the Dweedles return. Having found that the rattle had not been ruined, they again prepare to do battle. Erudite footnotes frequently and irregularly interrupt the work, which finishes with an improvised, multi-texted ensemble and the sighting of the monstrous crow.
The main text comes from Looking Glass, chapter 4, verses 3-12, 16-18.