The words of the American nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb were inspired by an actual story. Young Mary Sawyer decided to take her little lamb to school one day at the suggestion of her brother. Visiting Mary's school that day was a young man that was very taken by the presence of the lamb. The next day he returned to the little red school house and handed Mary a piece of paper with the three original stanzas written upon it.
The Redstone School built in 1798, believed to be the school house mentioned in the rhyme, is now located in Sudbury, Massachusetts. In the town center of Mary's home in Sterling, Massachusetts stands a statue of Mary's lamb.
Mary's Little Lamb with Scirocco Winds
Scirocco plays a little bit different version of the Mary's Little Lamb. A composer, Greg Danner, was inspired by the traditional Mary Had a Little Lamb and he arranged, or re-created, the story and music for the woodwind quintet. Listen to the story carefully. At the same time, listen to the music. You will hear the familiar melody. In addition, you may find some passages that are influenced by many classical composers listed below.
