Seal Lullaby

Seal Lullaby is fast becoming a choir favourite, with it’s tender words, haunting melody, and that final quarter when Dominic plays notes like little sprays of sea foam as the choir voices the billows of the slow swinging sea.  And of course unlike any other song in the repertoire, it allows us to sing the word “flipperling.” A rare joy.

But what’s the background to the song, and why was it written?

The words to the song come from Kipling’s “Jungle Book”, published in 1894, and are the preface to the story of The White Seal. This story is set in the Aleutian islands of the Bering Sea, between Russia and Alaska, in a colony of fur seals. The White Seal of the title was the first seal to have been born on the islands with a snow-white coat, and also had a strong curiosity and sense of justice. One day the yearling seals were herded away by the native Eskimo tribe (the hunters would not come near the white seal – they thought he was the ghost of an old Eskimo lost at sea), and the white seal followed, only to witness his playmates being clubbed and skinned for their fur.

Shocked by the sight, he dedicated his life to finding a safe and secret beach where fur seals could live without fear. He located such a beach, but on return he found the adult seals would not follow him, as he had no status. With the help of his father he fought all the other males until he gained their respect, then led them to safety “in that sea where no man comes”.

In 2004, DreamWorks animation decided to make an animated film of the White Seal story. They contacted Eric Whitacre, the eminent composer and (as Kate reminds us) ex-male model, and asked if he would like to work on the project. Eric was delighted, quickly composed the song we know and love, and sent it off to the film studio with high hopes. He heard nothing back. Eric takes up the story:

“I didn’t hear anything from them for weeks and weeks, and I began to despair. Did they hate it? Was it too melodically complex? Did they even listen to it? Finally, I called them, begging to know the reason that they had rejected my tender little song. “Oh,” said the exec, “we decided to make Kung Fu Panda instead”.

Well, DreamWorks loss is the Mendipmen’s gain! Seal Lullaby is a far better song than Kung Fu Fighting, and long may it remain in our repertoire.