This piece has a little of the flavor of Handel's work. The ship, the instruments, and even the angel are based on things I've seen or researched, but I took off from there. The king's lion's-head lute is based on one I saw in the Victoria and Albert Museum music collection. The other characters are simply supporters of the music. The mouse, playing a three-stringed ancestor of the violin, seemed to sit nicely in the crow's nest. He makes the whole thing diminutive, because I'm more willing to accept a little king than a gigantic mouse. The angel has butterfly wings, and the bird is simply listening ... or maybe doing vocals. As for what happens next, I can only tell you a few things for sure. It's evening, they're up in the sky, and it's a very pleasant thing that's happening. From there, it's all up to you. - JCC