This tale begins with its ending and ends with its beginning. “This is the House that Jack built. This is the Malt that lay in the House that Jack built. This is the Rat that eat [sic] the Malt that lay in the House that Jack built.” Each line adds a new preceding element—a Cat, a Dog, a Cow—always, eventually, leading back to the house. The house adorning this light-hearted musical setting looks, perhaps, grander than the simple nursery rhyme might lead listeners to imagine.
Mr. (James) Hook (1746–1827), This is the house that Jack built. London: A. Bland & Weller, [1798?], first edition. Mary Flagler Cary Music Collection, 2008.