Fearsome Creatures

Program Notes

When Doug Jurs approached me about composing a new set of intermediate piano pieces based on the William T. Cox book, Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods I was thrilled to provide musical illustrations of Cox’s wonderful lore. Book I, for solo piano, contains portraits of three creatures: the Splinter Cat – who jumps from tree to tree, smashing his head into trunks and reaking havoc in the forest; the Wapaloosie – a tiny rodent with glistening, velvety fur, who scurries up trees hundreds of feet tall; and the Gumberoo – a ferocious bear-sized beast, who devours everything in sight, and whose thick shiny skin acts as a protective shield that repels anything striking it. My music explores the wild romps and whimsical episodes of these creatures, as well as the spaciousness and beauty of the towering woods they inhabit. Let us wander into the Lumberwoods!

- Daniel Temkin