In the works:
Christmas stories
coming in 2011!
We are presently working on DaggSound's second round of audio stories, this time on a Christmas theme.
Our holiday selections will include a range of tales of people doing their best to bring cheer to others in one form or another, from the familiar to the unfamiliar, the sentimental to the more "hard-boiled."
We plan to have western Christmas pieces by Bret Harte and Owen Wister, a small-town story by Zona Gale, big city Christmas tales by O. Henry, H. L. Mencken and Ring Lardner, and some more.
We are also happy to be welcoming several new voices to DaggSound, along with readers heard in the 2010's Victorian Ghost Stories.
Check in with us from time to time for progress reports!
(November 27) We have begun working with readers on the Christmas stories, and we are very pleased with the sound of things so far.
(December 28) We got the production in Christmas stories off to a great start today, recording Doug Goheen's reading of Ring Lardner's "Old Folk's Christmas." Once again, we made use of the Topeka West High costume storage room as a studio. With the exception of the occasional class bells and an airplane overhead which interrupted the session temporarily, the recording went smoothly.
On December 29, Tracy Schnacker made the recording of Owen Wister's "A Journey in Search of Christmas." It is the tale of a Wyoming cowpoke who comes into Cheyenne with three pals for a change of scene for Christmas, but ends up taking off on his own for Denver in search of something else--and he finds it in an unexpected meeting with a small boy whose past is intertwined with his.
(February 6) Initial editing of the voice track for "A Journey in Search of Christmas" is done. The next steps, recording musical selections and mixing will be in the near future. The initial editing of "Old Folks' Christmas" should be done soon.
(March 22) The initial editing of "Old Folks' Christmas" is completed, and we have worked with David Lundry on "How Santa Claus Came to Simpson's Bar" and with Susie Corbett on "As Ye Sow..." Today Ryan J. McCoy recorded "Reginald's Christmas Revels," and we'll be editing it soon. Yesterday, Marilyn Mott recorded a vocalise on the plansong theme "Divinum Mysterium," which will be background music for "December Nights," a Willa Cather piece to be recorded by David Weyhrauch.
(May 27) We have recorded pieces of two Christmas hymns for use in "A Journey in search of Christmas," with the generous help of past and present members of Topeka Festival Singers, and staff members at Topeka West High School. Through the magic of digital recordings we will blend choruses in two locations with an organ from a third locale to create Christmas morning 1880 at St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Cathedral in Denver. Now that school's out, on to recording "Gift of the Magi," "A Bum's Christmas," "December Night," "Human," "As Ye Sow," and "How Santa Claus Came to Simpson's Bar"!
(July 25) We are making great progress with the Christmas stories. This summer we have Dorothy Canfield Fisher's "As Ye Sow..." recorded by Susie Corbett, Willa Cather's "December Night" by David Weyhrauch, Bret Harte's "How Santa Claus Came to Simpson's Bar" done by David Lundry, Zona Gale's "Human" read by Melanie Ralston--the editing of these is happening.
(September 26) Progress has been slowed by temporary delays in recording, so we are moving the expected debut date of the Christmas stories to November.
(November 12) We finished the editing of "A Journey in Search of Christmas" and "Reginald's Christmas Revel" today, with a number left to get done. The Garage Band feature on the Macintosh has provided some nice software instrumental music, in particular the organ accompaniment to go with the chorale recordings of "Shout the Glad Tidings" and "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear."
(November 23) We now have five great Christmas stories on the page: "A Journey in Search of Christmas," "Reginald's Christmas Revel," "Old Folks' Christmas," "As Ye Sow...." and "Human." Two more are in the can and nearly ready for posting!
(November 25) Hurray! All five Christmas stories are now online! We have hopes of adding H.L. Mencken's "A Bum's Christmas" and "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry in due course, as originally planned.
Updated November 25, 2011.
