Peter The Wild Boy
A "Music Story Work"
by James Spinney
Who was Peter?
In 1725, in a forest near Hanover, Germany, a group of hunters came upon a boy. He was unclothed, with long hair and fingernails, and didn't speak. He was thought to be about eleven years old.
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Brought to King George I's court in London, he became a subject of fascination and debate. Whilst Peter remained non-verbal throughout his life, he showed a strong affinity for music.
What led me to Peter's story?
Growing up in Berkhamsted, I often saw Peter's grave near my grandparents' house. His story seemed like something from a fairy tale.
In recent years I found myself delving deeper into accounts of his life. When I discovered his lifelong love of music - apparently he'd dance until he collapsed from exhaustion - I knew I'd found my way into telling his story.
What is a "Music Story Work"?
Peter The Wild Boy is Fee Fie Foe's first "Music Story Work". The series builds on our experience producing award-winning non-fiction artworks, channeling these techniques into standalone musical pieces that explore complex themes and stories through new collaborations between thinkers, organisations and music makers to incubate creatively ambitious new pieces.
wild mind, wild earth
Through Peter's remarkable story, the project explores how Western thought has drawn lines between "human" and "natural" worlds. The debates that surrounded Peter – from Enlightenment philosophers to local communities – reveal evolving attitudes toward neurodiversity and human difference.
His story invites us to question inherited assumptions about consciousness, communication, and our relationship with the natural world.