Music inspired by bird song.
Bird song has inspired poets and musicians over many centuries.
Their communication with potential mates, rivals and predators became
music to the ears of most humans.
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Music of the Birds
Lang Elliott
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The nightingale can sing up to 300 different songs. The canary breathes 30
times a second to replenish its air supply.
The Gamelan music of Indonesia has been compared to birdsong.
These are a few of the many pieces composed imitating bird song.
Please let us know if you know of any more.
Beethoven
– Sixth symphony, 2nd. movement. (Analysis and
information)
Delius
- On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring. (Information)
Dvorak
-
String Quartet No. 12 ("American"), third movement.
(Information)
Clement Janequin
- Le Chant des Oiseaux. (Information)
Joseph Haydn - The Seasons - (Oratorio)
Prokofiev - Peter and the Wolf.
(Analysis and
information)
Messiaen -
Quartet for
the End of Time.
The first movement Liturgy of crystal has
violin and clarinet explicitly imitating birdsong.
(Analysis and
information)
Also the third
movement,
Abyss of the birds.
Mozart
- Magic Flute.
(Analysis and
information)
Respighi
- Pines of Rome. (Analysis and
information)
Respighi
- Suite for orchestra, Gli Ucelli (the birds).
Vaughan Williams
- The Lark Ascending.
(Information)
Vivaldi - Four Seasons (Summer).
(Information)
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber
-
Sonata Representativa
('Representatio Avium'), for solo violin. (Information)
Shakespeare's
"Love's Labours Lost" closes with the song "When daisies
pied," containing the lines "Cuckoo, cuckoo!' O word of fear, Unpleasing
to a married ear."
All the above music is available from Amazon.com
(See separate
pages for details).
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Music of Birds
