The northern cardinal is the state bird of seven states, more than any other species: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Undoubtedly its familiarity and bright colouration are part of the reason, but it is also one of the most loved songsters in North America. Both sexes sing clear, whistled song patterns, which are repeated several times, then varied.
According to Olivier Messiaen who has featured many times on these pages, it was his teacher Paul Dukas who told him, “Listen to the birds; they are great masters.” He took the advice, and turned it into a life-long obsession, becoming an expert on bird song in the process. Most of Messiaen's style oiseau music is the product of careful notation of the birdsong he encountered in the field.
However, Oiseaux exotiques (1955-56) cites no fewer than 40 different birdsongs from far-flung lands, all transcribed from recordings. The work, in a single continuous movement, may be regarded as a sort of avian fantasy, but is really a sound fantasy—an exploration of timbres and rhythms where birdsong meets ancient Karnatic and Greek rhythms. The northern cardinal has a prominent role almost from the start.
According to Olivier Messiaen who has featured many times on these pages, it was his teacher Paul Dukas who told him, “Listen to the birds; they are great masters.” He took the advice, and turned it into a life-long obsession, becoming an expert on bird song in the process. Most of Messiaen's style oiseau music is the product of careful notation of the birdsong he encountered in the field.
However, Oiseaux exotiques (1955-56) cites no fewer than 40 different birdsongs from far-flung lands, all transcribed from recordings. The work, in a single continuous movement, may be regarded as a sort of avian fantasy, but is really a sound fantasy—an exploration of timbres and rhythms where birdsong meets ancient Karnatic and Greek rhythms. The northern cardinal has a prominent role almost from the start.
Robert Fallon is a musicologist based at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. He has made a study of Messiaen's transcriptions of birdsong and compared them with spectograms of the real thing.
Copyright Robert Fallon www.robertfallon.org
In this superb performance of the first part of Oiseaux Exotiques, with Messiaen's one-time student Pierre Boulez conducting, and Pierre-Laurent Aimard at the piano, the first two fragments above are about 3 minutes in, and the third about twenty seconds later.
Finally, a chance to hear the bird for yourself:
I am grateful to Robert Fallon for permission to use the spectogram comparison diagram. Rob's website contains a lot of interesting information and further examinations of other species. Another comprehensive site for fans of Messiaen is run by Malcolm Ball at www.oliviermessiaen.org
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