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Sleeve Notes
A Note to Parents: Several of the finest old fairy tales are presented here by one of America's outstanding folk singers and story-tellers, Fiona Jamieson, who illustrates the old legends with many magnificent old songs. Alex Campbell, a superb folksinger with a world reputation, appears together with Fiona and contributes his special brand of fun to the proceedings.
Fairy tales, often neglected in the modern world, play an important role in your child's education. They deal with make-believe heroes and never-never lands, but they stimulate your child's imagination and stress values that are very real — human values like courage, persistence, honesty, kindness and a sense of humor. Fiona's first story tells of the poor shoemaker and his wife who found, one morning, that the elves had done their work for them. After that, for many nights, the elves returned and stitched together dozens of pairs of shoes. One evening the curious shoemaker decided to see who was doing the work, and when he saw how shabbily the elves were dressed, he and his wife made new clothes for their nocturnal helpers. A fine time is had by all when the elves discover their presents!
Another classic fairy tale, especially adapted for this recording, relates the adventures of that intrepid young hero, Lucky Johnny, as he goes in search of three golden hairs from the beard of the golden giant. Johnny accomplishes his mission in order to marry the Princess Irmelin, and at the same time he manages to help solve the problems of several people he meets along the way.
Another funny and fascinating tale concerns the three impoverished knights, Sir Eglamore, Sir Egmont and Sir Eggbert, who have to make the best of a rather skimpy inheritance. Sir Eglamore has only a rooster; Sir Egmont has nothing more than a scythe, and Sir Eggbert owns only a cat. How they manage to become prosperous and respected by finding the right market for these items makes a fascinating study in ingenuity and persistence.
Fiona's fourth tale deals with that marvelous quartet of talented animals, the town musicians of Bremen. A donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster join forces in pursuit of a happier way of life. They hope to become town musicians in the city of Bremen, but along the way they run across a band of robbers. By serenading the outlaws and crashing through the window of their den, the animals fall heir to the robber's house and — after carrying out a clever defensive maneuver — they live happily and wealthily ever after.
The star of this recording, Fiona Jamieson, is a native of Lexington, Kentucky. The script was written especially for her by the writing-and-music team of Mary Tobias and Irving Miller, both native New Yorkers.