The Pied Piper Of Hamelin

A Cantata for SATB, Children’s Choir, Soloists, Flute, Piano and Percussion accompaniment

This is a setting of Robert Browning’s poem of 1841, written for a collaboration between Hope Metropolitan Singers, Liverpool Oriel Singers and Bolton’s Brixi Singers.

It is dedicated to peripatetic music teachers, many worth far more ‘guilders’ than they are paid, who revel in inspiring the next generation of musicians. We really do owe them a huge debt of gratitude!

It will be premiered at Liverpool Hope University on Saturday 9th May, 2026 (six hundred and fifty years after the date of the tragic events, if the poem is to be believed…)

It consists of twelve movements:

1. Introduction – Children
2. Rats! – SATB, Children
3. The Townsfolk Complain – SATB
4. Tick, Tock – Children
5. The Mayor Speaks – Mayor, SATB
6. Enter the Pied Piper – Flute, SATB
7. The Pact – Piper, Mayor, SATB
8. Dance of the Rats – Flute, SATB (children on percussion)
9. The Ballad of Julius Caesar – Children
10. Ring the Bells – Breaking the Pact – Piper, Mayor, SATB
11. Dance of the Children- Flute, SATB (children on percussion)
12. Hamelin Remembers – SATB

These movements have been arranged to allow the children’s choir to have some songs that they sing without the adult choir (for both ease of rehearsal and also to allow the spotlight to fall entirely on them). They also have the opportunity to sing with an accompaniment other than the ubiquitous piano/backing track, and in two songs they have the chance to join the rhythm section with samba instruments!

Ideally, the flautist and singer for the Piper would be one and the same person, but given that this is probably unlikely, they should at least be the same gender. If the flautist is male, the singer would be a tenor. However, if the flautist is female, the singer should be a Soprano, and all the pronouns for the Piper should be altered to suit.

The story lends itself to a ‘semi-staged’ presentation, but this is not a requisite for a performance!

Follow my blog to keep up to date with preparations for the concert!