Olivier Messiaen, 20th Century French composer and ornithologist, described birds as being " the greatest musicians on our planet." There has been much scientific speculation as to the precise reason as to why birds sing; but whether these songs spring from purely biological impulses or from some sort of higher channeled energies which speak through these creatures, birdsong is undoubtedly highly microtonal and musically intricate in a way often overseen (or "underheard") by the average human. Our songs pay homage to the intrinsic beauty of birdsong and to the spiritual beauty which is embodied in the image of the bird. Birdhouse is a point of departure.
Here are some notes on songs in our repertoire:
Spring and early summer, roughly April through June, are the best seasons for listening to birdsong. Summons to the Birds is a beckoning of birdlife into our musical realm.
Several of our songs are developed from microtonal transcriptions of actual birdsongs which we have heard on sound recordings or "live." For example, Jon scrutinized the sound recordings of specific birds for Wood Thrush and Baltimore Blues, painstakingly transcribing each note of the melody, while Meredith sat under an apple tree in her hometown Sterling., Massachusetts to study the song of Orchard Oriole and under a bridge in Hoboken, NJ with the NYC urban skyline spanning the horizon to notate the melody of the bird (name unknown!) which inspired Hoboken Bird. In Hermit, instead of taking the actual melody of the hermit thrush, we use the chord progression implied by the song of the bird as the basis for the composition, while the vocal melody is created as a variation on the bird's song. Not even the coloratura voice can modulate to the extreme registers utilized by this great feathered singer!
We also create songs which do not draw upon actual transcriptions, but which nonetheless are inspired by birds or allude to ideals represented by them. In Scrub Jay, Jon created a song which depicts the plight of this Florida bird whose natural habitat is currently being destroyed, and who is thus struggling for survival. We thus channel the. story of the bird through our wordless microtonal language. Nightbird is the first song Jon wrote for Birdhouse; out of a minimal vocal gesture, the song took flight. Silence of the Songbirds is a composition which combines a variety of actual birdsongs at one point (our aviary section) with an opening melody hearkening to a special time of day when one is most likely to hear some of the most beautiful birdsongs ...... in the calm before the dawn." As the rest of the lyrics indicate, we need to open our ears before it's too late ......Listen, listen now; silent before long!" After the comic relief of Woodpecker, we conclude with our mantra of peace, Bird of Pray:
"Lay your weapon down
the war is over
Lay your weapon down!"
We invite you all to join us in singing at the end of this piece.
May 1997 |