Recordings of Walter Slaughter’s music for the Savile Clarke production of Alice in Wonderland
There are no known recordings of the many productions of Alice in Wonderland that took place between 1886 and 1927. However, recordings of excerpts have been made more recently, and are available. They are listed here, chronologically.
1941, His Master’s Voice, Ann Stephens as Alice.
Music is by Walter Slaughter (but the text is adapted by Edward P Genn).
Introduction and scene with the Caterpillar
Song: You Are Old, Father William
Scene with Duchess and Cheshire Cat
Song: Speak Roughly to your Little Boy
Song: Cheshire Cat
The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
Song: When the Wind is in The East [extra song written by Walter Slaughter & Aubrey Hopwood for Seymour Hicks’ revival in 1900]
Scene with the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle
Song: Beautiful Soup
Scene with Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Song: The Mulberry Bush
Song: Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Scene with Humpty Dumpty and Finale
Song: Humpty Dumpty
Song: Wake, Alice, Wake!
1945, His Master’s Voice, Ann Stephens as Alice.
Most of the music is by Walter Slaughter (but the text is adapted by Edward P Genn).
Scene with the White King
Song: Nobody [by Walter Tilbury, 1903]
Scene with the Lion and the Unicorn
Song: The Lion and the Unicorn
Song: Sound the Festal Trumpets
Scene with Red and White Queens
Song: Wake, Alice, Wake!
1987, Musical Recordings made by Alexandre Reverend
The book, Lewis Carroll and Music by Alexandre Reverend, published by Syndicat du Wonderland, 1987, discusses a variety of aspects of Lewis Carroll and music. It is accompanied by a cassette that includes selected recordings of Walter Slaughter’s music for Alice in Wonderland. These are also available on the associated website, Lewis Carroll et la musique.
Direct link to the list of all musical recordings: areverend.free.fr
Links to specific recordings:
Song: How Doth the Little Crocodile
Song: Father William
Music: Entrance of the Duchess
Song: Jabberwocky
Song: Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Music: Oyster Scene
Music: No.6 Dressing up for Battle (Tweedledum and Tweedledee)
2013, Colin Johnson
The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive website (British Musical Theatre section) has the music as individual MIDI files created by Colin Johnson; click for each individual piece of music (no words).
21 February 2020, University of Kent Cecilian Choir
This adaptation, by Dr Daniel Harding, Deputy Director of Music, was produced as part of the University of Kent’s celebration of the bi-centennial of Sir John Tenniel’s birth. It uses Savile Clarke’s libretto and Walter Slaughter’s music. The production was based upon Act I (Wonderland) only. Some sections of the libretto (and some characters) have been cut, and the Finale of Act II, which reprises the music at the opening of Act I, added to the end, to make it a complete piece with a proper ending. Although the main focus is upon the music, the performance is enacted, in costume, making it the closest to the original play.
Link to the performance (running time one hour): youtube.com
Vocal Score
A vocal score (with song words) was published by Ascherberg, Hopwood & Crew, London, 1906, and can be accessed at IMSLP (International Music Score Library Project) imslp.org