« Some of the melodies for The Log are traditional Irish folk songs, so popular with New England coastal communities, including those along the mid-coast of Maine, where Dorothea and Fred Balano lived and where some members of the Balano family still live.

« A few years ago, I met Dorothea and Fred’s grandson, Jim Balano, on Monhegan Island, Maine. In the course of his family recollections, he sang two melodies which he said his grandfather particularly liked – « The Leaving of Liverpool » and « Goin’ Home, » the second one familiar as the theme from Dvojak’s New World Symphony. Naturally, these tunes found their way into the score.

« The two Portuguese tunes that Dorothea sings during the trip to Rio, « Ole mulher rendera » and « Voce pense, » are actual ballads known to people in both Portugal and Brazil. »

– Allan Crossman

A Contemporary Musical

Libretto by / Texte:Joann G. Breuer

Based on the book by James Balano after the diary of Dorothea Balano

1. Overture

2-8. Part 1

9-19. Part 2

20-24. Part 3