Local composer draws inspiration from work of Rudyard Kipling for 'The Jungle Book in Song'

Most everyone knows the story of man-cub Mowgli, whether from having read Rudyard Kipling's novel "The Jungle Book" or watching the Disney animated movie it inspired.

Composer Ethan McGrath says that like most people he was familiar with the Disney film and had not read all of Kipling's writing until recently after hearing some of the book's poems read out of context from the full work.

"That got me interested in reading both volumes of 'The Jungle Book.' There's a lot more to what Kipling wrote in 'The Jungle Book' than what most people realize," he says.

In fact, there are two volumes to the well-known Kipling work. The first is a collection of stories about Mowgli and animals such as Baloo the bear and Shere Khan the tiger. The second is a book of fables that includes five more stories about Mowgli. Each chapter contains a story followed by a poem.

"'The Jungle Book stories are very intriguing," says McGrath. "They are mostly about animals, but anthropomorphic animals that feel human in a lot of ways, which gives double meaning to a lot of the stories. His poetry is very intriguing and draws you in.

"Sometimes when I read a poem, it immediately suggests a musical idea in the effect of the poem or the rhythm of the words. I found that to be the case when I read a lot of these poems, and I just thought 'I have to set that to music.'"

So he has.

McGrath has written seven original compositions based on Kipling's writings, which will be presented in a free concert Sunday afternoon at First Baptist Church. It is the culmination of four months of work.

He will be joined by soprano Sarah Tullock, mezzo-soprano Jordan Otis, narrator Carol Loree and a choir comprised of friends who will sing the numbers. He will accompany these performers on piano.

McGrath says his music doesn't have anything to do with the Disney film, but are his original settings of various poems from Kipling's books.

"Kipling has written poems that are interspersed throughout the stories that are often from the perspective of the animals. I set some of these poems to music," he explains.

The composer said Loree will read excerpts from stories to put the setting in place for the music that follows.

"I think the whole idea of singing these songs that are from the perspective of animals in fanciful tales is unconventional. Singers don't often get the opportunity to sing in the role of an animal. That makes it fun to imagine getting inside an unconventional character," he describes.

McGrath says his long-range plans are to send these compositions to a publisher and try to make them available for the public to purchase.

Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.