The concept of using
birdsong as a basis for musical expression is nothing new. Composers from
Beethoven to Messaien have taken advantage of this ready source, and have
produced music that is lyrical, haunting, and even harsh.
The bird calls I
choose as
material
are used not
necessarily because of their musical potential,
but rather
because the birds themselves
hold some
special significance, and in 1979 I began a tradition of writing a piece of
music for every new species of bird seen, as a “Thank You” for these special
gifts!
Some birding journeys would yield over 400 new species (or “lifers”), so writing
a piece for every bird was a little daunting, to say the least, so for these
mega-trips I randomly chose a dozen representative species from my trip list,
covering the major areas visited.
In the case of the
Ecuador Suite,
those areas included the high Andes (Papallacta and Yanacocha), the western
foothills (Mindo and the Tandayapa Valley), and the western lowlands (Choco
region).
I
consider myself to be a “classical” musician, but with the purchase of a Yamaha
Clavinova CVP-403, the temptation to “play with” the myriad rhythm styles
available was too strong to resist, so most of these pieces depart from my
normal style by having a “pop” feel to them!
A few worked well as “stand-alones”, but I also composed a “pop” version
for these as well, which are included at the end of the CD as “Part 2’s”.
Whatever your musical
preferences, it is my hope and prayer that these pieces will be a blessing and a
source of enjoyment to the listener.
Track 1:
Rufous Antpitta
Probably the most “free form” of the pieces, the Antpitta motif (a series of
level eighth notes followed by triplets) doesn’t actually show up until well
into the piece, where a strict musical representation of the bird’s song is
followed by a melody composed from that motif, followed again by the straight
song motif. The motif that begins
and ends the piece is actually unrelated to the bird!
Track
2:
Ocellated Tapaculo
This was the first of the “play with a rhythm” pieces (all rhythms were selected
“by lot” as it were), and the result is rather “funky”, with both the A and B
themes playing on the loud, descending song note of this bird.
Actually, the bird was never
seen
this trip, but was content to sing out of sight mere inches from us, so this
song conjures up in my mind a cartoon version of the bird bopping happily down
the trail at Yanacocha (as reflected in the cover art)!
Track 3: Booted Rackettail (Hear a sample)
A piece that definitely does
not
reflect the personality of the bird, the primary motif was taken from the bubbly
interaction calls of this delightful little hummingbird, whereas the
introductory “morse code” motif (revisited at the end) reflects a different type
of foraging call. Rather than being
fast and lively, this stand-alone piece almost has the feel of a dirge with a
strong emotional build at the repeat of the A theme, then softening once again.
Track
4:
Streak-capped Treehunter
When the Lord “picked” a German “oom-pah-pah” rhythm for this one, I said, “You
gotta be kidding!” He said, “Work
with it!”
☺
It actually grew on me! I jokingly
call this one the “Treehunter Waltz”, and will need no explanation...
Track
5:
Black-winged Saltator
This was one of the few birds that easily provided a lovely melody!
The bird’s spot-on whistled song speaks for itself, and along with some
preliminary call notes, provided the material for both the A and B melodies in a
haunting piece with an easy rock
rhythm.
Track 6: Dark-backed Wood Quail
The rollicking song of this little secretive game bird lends itself well for a
ready-made melody
and
rhythm, but the “pick” of an old-time “rock-n-roll” beat made for an interesting
juxtaposition of a duple rhythm against a triplet-based melody!
The non-stop A melody is in a major key, but the B melody is minor for
the most part, giving a bit of a respite.
A bit funky, but this one grew on me, too (once I got it out of my head…)
Track
7:
Shiny Cowbird
Everyone’s favorite bird
☺,
the “squeaky song” of this parasitic blackbird actually provided a pleasant
motif (although the original song is so high in pitch that one has to use one’s
imagination to put musical notes to it).
Another “stand-alone”, this one reminded me a bit of an obscure selection
from Edward Grieg’s
Lyric Suite
that usually isn’t included in most recordings, and reflects the distant tolling
of church bells. The triplet feel
and major key of the melody keeps this piece from being as “dirgy” as the
Rackettail.
Track 8: Spotted Woodcreeper (Hear a sample)
I was a little concerned how a song consisting of a wobbly wail up and down the
chromatic scale would translate into a musical piece, but it worked!
The descending call note helped in the composition of the A theme, and
the chromatically-based song helped give a rather sinister (or “sneaky”) feel to
the B theme. This one worked well
as an easy “walking pace” stand-alone piece, and ends rather like a music box!
Track 9: Pacific Antwren
The main melody of this piece was actually taken from the call notes of this
bird, not the song, which like many in the antbird family consists of a series
of rising, accelerating notes (which can be briefly heard in the actual
recording). The result was a
haunting melody that worked well with an easy beat.
Track
10:
White-ringed Flycatcher
Probably the funkiest of them all, the 6/8 “country” beat dictated that the
flycatcher motif reflect the feel!
The B theme, being in a minor key, offsets that a bit, but the C theme returns
to major and is more relaxed. (The
transition from the C theme back to the A theme was actually lifted from an
earlier work based on the Black Turnstone call—a little far removed from
Ecuador…)
Track 11: Yellow-bellied Elaenia
What a hoot when the Lord picked the “Bolero” rhythm!
☺
(This Clavinova has everything…) I
couldn’t help but reflect some of Ravel’s instrumentation in this one, but while
I actually have three themes instead of his two (I guess you could count his
surprise ending as a third), the piece doesn’t last nearly as long, and to this
day I’m wondering if I should have extended it a little!
Track
12: Great Antshrike
Again, I wasn’t sure how an accelerating, rising song (ending with a “splat”
note) was going to play out, but it did!
The A theme reflects the bird’s song most closely (with some liberties),
but the B and C themes are totally manufactured from the interval (or nearly so)
of the last two notes of the bird’s song!
A Latin beat was chosen for this piece, and surprisingly the 5/8 rhythm
of the B theme worked well with it.
An additional three tracks have been added that reflect "pop" versions of the Shiny Cowbird, Booted Rackettail, and Spotted Woodcreeper.