The Music of Wild Birds
An Illustrated, Annotated, and Opinionated Guide to Fifty Birds and Their Songs
Always available
Always available
Each bird is meticulously rendered by artist Judy Pelikan in full-color illustrations that feature not only the birds, but also their nests, eggs, and feathers. And every song is represented by its written musical score, which Mathews expertly explains in a way that both musicians and non-musicians can enjoy.
As Mathews points out, the music of wild birds is everywhere—in poems, children's nursery songs, as well as in the works of the great composers: the Black-billed Cuckoo's call appears near the close of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony; the Nashville Warbler's song is found in the opening bars of Rossini's Carovale, and the Meadowlark's song is remarkably like the first two bars of Alfredo's song in La Traviata.
He reveals how a bird's character is reflected in its song: the Baltimore Oriole is a sharp-billed, sharp-witted character, and his remarks are as incisive and crisp as the toots of a steam whistle. And he reminds us of the words of our great poets—Wordsworth, Emerson, Sir Walter Scott—and their descriptions of the very same birds and their music.
This classic, useful, and completely original guide will put a song into the heart of novice and experienced birder alike.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 5, 2004 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781565128781
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781565128781
- File size: 12433 KB
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Accessibility
The publisher provides the following statement about the accessibility of the EPUB file supplied to OverDrive. Experiences may vary across reading systems. After borrowing the book, you may download the EPUB files to read in another reading system.
Ways Of Reading
No information about appearance modifiability is available.
Not all of the content will be readable as read aloud speech or dynamic braille.
Conformance
No information is available.
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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January 1, 2004
Illustrator Pelikan (Grandmother Remembers) highlights what fellow birder Mathews called"the little feathered musicians of Nature's great orchestra" in a gift book perfect for bird lovers. Her delicate, bright drawings of birds complement the excerpts of Mathews's lighthearted and poetic mini-essays, which come from his 1904 Field Book of Wild Birds and Their Music. Also included from Mathews's original are the musical scores to the birds' songs. Those who can't read music can focus on Mathews's discussion of rhythm and appreciate his enthusiastic descriptions. The Ruffed Grouse is"the kettledrum," the Warbling Vireo is a"rambling soprano" and the Hermit Thrush is"a bird of genius...the last to sing the vesper hymn, and the earliest to open the matutinal chorus at the break of day." The Common Grackle--by and large an unpopular bird--makes noises rather than music: he can sound like"rattling shutters, watchman's rattles, ungreased cart wheels and vibrating wire springs." And what of the Purple Finch? Its songs make"first-rate motives for Spanish tarantelles." Color illustrations throughout. -
December 15, 2003
Illustrator Pelikan (Grandmother Remembers) highlights what fellow birder Mathews called"the little feathered musicians of Nature's great orchestra" in a gift book perfect for bird lovers. Her delicate, bright drawings of birds complement the excerpts of Mathews's lighthearted and poetic mini-essays, which come from his 1904 Field Book of Wild Birds and Their Music. Also included from Mathews's original are the musical scores to the birds' songs. Those who can't read music can focus on Mathews's discussion of rhythm and appreciate his enthusiastic descriptions. The Ruffed Grouse is"the kettledrum," the Warbling Vireo is a"rambling soprano" and the Hermit Thrush is"a bird of genius...the last to sing the vesper hymn, and the earliest to open the matutinal chorus at the break of day." The Common Grackle--by and large an unpopular bird--makes noises rather than music: he can sound like"rattling shutters, watchman's rattles, ungreased cart wheels and vibrating wire springs." And what of the Purple Finch? Its songs make"first-rate motives for Spanish tarantelles." Color illustrations throughout.Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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