Hansel and Gretel

One of the best-known fairy tales, collected by the Brothers Grimm and later turned into an opera.

Pebbles, then breadcrumbs

In the tale, a poor woodcutter's family is going hungry, and the children are led deep into the forest. The first time, clever Hansel fills his pockets with white pebbles and drops them along the way. That night the pebbles shine in the moonlight "like new silver coins", and the children follow them home. The second time he has only a piece of bread, so he scatters crumbs. When the moon rises, the crumbs are gone: the birds of the forest have eaten them all.

This game follows the same order. On the first nights the pebbles glow faintly. After that come breadcrumbs, and you'll have to remember the way.

The story and the opera

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the tale in 1812 in their first collection of Children's and Household Tales. In 1893 the composer Engelbert Humperdinck made it into an opera, with music as warm as a lullaby. It is still often performed at Christmas, and its "Evening Prayer", sung by the two children lost in the forest at nightfall, is much loved. The gingerbread house and the witch are part of the tale too. This gentle game leaves the witch safely in the book and keeps to the long walk home.

The music

The lullaby is Humperdinck's Evening Prayer, "Abends, will ich schlafen gehn" ("When at night I go to sleep, fourteen angels watch do keep"), which Hansel and Gretel sing before they fall asleep in the forest. The opera's Prelude opens with the same melody on the horns. Here Gretel's tune is played on a soft flute and Hänsel's harmony on a gentle reed, both made in your browser. The notes come straight from Humperdinck's score, which is in the public domain.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Hansel and Gretel and Hänsel und Gretel (opera)

The tale is in the public domain. The retellings in this game are new.