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The Hums of Pooh

Score
1929 (published)
Artist/Maker
Methuen (published by)
Ascherberg, Hopwood & Crew (published by)
Milne, Alan Alexander (author)
Shepard, Ernest Howard (illustrator)
Fraser-Simson, Harold (composer)
Place of origin
London (published)

For voice and piano. The lyrics are from Winnie-the-Pooh and The house at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne. Quarter-cloth case binding with decorated paper over boards; decorated dust jacket. Line block illustrations. 1 score (ix, [1], 67, [1] pages.

Object details

Categories
National Art Library
Children & Childhood
Illustration
Books
Object type
Score
TitleThe Hums of Pooh (published title)
Materials and techniques
Case bound printed book with music printing and line block illustrations.
Printing Ink
Paper (Fiber Product)
Cloth
Printing
Brief description
Book, 'The Hums of Pooh', by A. A. Milne, music by H. Fraser-Simson, illustrations by E.H. Shepard. Published in London by Methuen & Co., Ltd. in conjunction with Ascherberg, Hopwood & Crew, Ltd., 1929. NAL Pressmark: 864.AA.0446.
Physical description
For voice and piano. The lyrics are from Winnie-the-Pooh and The house at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne. Quarter-cloth case binding with decorated paper over boards; decorated dust jacket. Line block illustrations. 1 score (ix, [1], 67, [1] pages.
Dimensions
  • Paper height: 31.6cm
  • Paper width: 25.6cm
  • Depth: 1.2cm
Gallery label
(09/12/2017 - 08/04/2018)
Music

Songbooks featuring Milne’s verses and hums followed soon after the books. Harold Fraser-Simson, a ‘fierce-looking man with a great grey moustache’, was the Milnes’ neighbour in Chelsea. He set the verses to music, first for his family’s private entertainment. The songs include instructions to sing, for example, ‘dreamily’ or ‘buzzingly’. ‘The King’s Breakfast’, as Milne explains in the published score, should be recited ‘on tip-toe’. George Baker made a popular recording of the hums, which featured on the BBC Radio’s Children’s Hour from the 1930s into the 1960s.

[Group label Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic, featuring this and several other music scores]
Credit line
Donated by Anne Renier and F.G. Renier
Object history
Donated by Anne Renier and F.G. Renier. Bookplate on upper pastedown reading: "From the Library of Anne Renier and F.G. Renier".
Other number
864.AA.0446 - NAL Pressmark
Collection
National Art Library
Library number
38041800961286

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Record createdOctober 28, 2016
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1371155/the-hums-of-pooh-score-milne-alan-alexander/
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