An Introduction to Contract Law: Cases and Music

PROGRAM NOTES What if John Philip Sousa had written a piece for marching band based on the case of Allegheny College v. Chautauqua Bank? Or what if the court in Sherwood v. Walker (a dispute over the ownership of a cow) had composed its judgment in the style of a country western ballad? The songs in this playlist were written to answer burning questions like these. In brief, each takes a classic decision in contract law and sets it to music. All of the music here -- the tunes, the lyrics, and the vocal or instrumental arrangements -- are my own original compositions. However, in addition to faithfully describing a famous legal decision, I also wanted each piece to evoke the musical style of the period when that case was decided. If some of these songs sound familiar, then, it is because they all use musical styles that remain familiar today. Here is a complete list of the musical genres I borrowed from (with the titles of my own contributions in parentheses): -- Bluegrass (“Chicken in a Contract”) -- Early Doo-Wop, circa 1950 (“Yogurt Shop Hop”) -- Late ragtime, circa 1930 (“That Lady Duff-Gordon Rag”) -- Sea shanties (“Sailing to Pyramid Harbor”) -- 19th century operetta (“The Nonperformance”) -- Country western (“My Rose”) -- Marching band (“Suite Allegheny”) -- Epic film scores, circa 1970 (“Big Country, Big Man”) -- Calypso (“The Cruise Ship Way”) -- Large choir (“Coronation Anthem and Fugue”) -- Jazz combo (“Woody Hightower”) Now, hit the “Play all” button and enjoy the music!