In 1962, the 33-year-old Robert Muczynski had already composed his flute sonata and other mature works, and recently had joined the faculty of University of Arizona, where he remained for the rest of his life. During that year, Muczynski held a Ford Foundation grant to bring his music to the public schools in the Tucson area. The charming-yet-profound result was a narrated work along the lines of Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling.

Set in Arizona, Fuzzette is a hairless tarantula who assumes no on...