In the first scene of the first act of the musical play A GIANT INFLATABLE CHRISTMAS, a father becomes wistful as he realizes his young son is not a little kid anymore.
This song is written for a tenor/baritone (range C to F). It can be performed with the piano part only, or with a small orchestra consisting of piano, clarinet, first and second violins, cello, and electric bass.
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When I was just a little kid,
I heard tales of what bold men did;
And beasts with wings and creatures wild,
That stirred the heart of a little child.
The made-up world is a wondrous place,
Of ancient times and of men in space,
And pirate captains and chests of gold,
And a man in red living at the pole.
But the wonder faded away with time,
And the made-up world was no longer mine.
The vision of reindeer in flight with a sleigh-
As childhood retreated, was brushed away.
But in the eyes of my youngest child, the wonder still appears.
The anticipation of Christmas morn, is not dulled by bills and career....
Wonder, oh wonder, wonder a little longer, my son.
Wonder, oh wonder...
Linger a moment before you go on.
When you were just a little kid,
You heard tales of what bold men did;
And beasts with wings and creatures wild,
That stirred the heart of a little child.
How did it happen, the time went so fast,
How many minutes and hours have passed?
You could wonder a little longer, my son,
But the time has come, for you to go on.
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Parts in the rehearsal score are tenor/baritone and piano.
Orchestral parts are:
Clarinet (recommend using only one)
Violin 1 & 2
Cello
Electric Bass
Piano
The remainder of the pit orchestra for the show is tacet for this song.
MP3 sound sample: Entire Piece (synthesizer/midi)
WONDER, OH WONDER, by Tom Kirkland, a tenor/baritone solo with small orchestra, comes in a pdf file of 314K, with a four-page practice score, nine-page full score, four one-page parts, one three-page, part, and a license page, twenty-one pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:40.