192 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



THE BIRDS' ORCHESTRA. 



By Norman O. Foerster. 



Although the feathered tribe are not capable of uniting to produce 

 the scherzo, the polonaise, the rhapsody, and the like, nor in the music ob- 

 serve pian issimo and fortissimo, the individual members of the "orches- 

 tra" suggest a striking similarity with the various musical instruments 

 and seek their nearest avian counterparts. 



Violin. — The ethereal sweetness of the Wagnerian prelude and the 

 paradisiac strain of the Hermit Thrush! There is an awe-inspiring 

 majesty, dignity and divine power in the former, coupled with a ravish- 

 ing sensuous melody that produces the same desire to seek a secluded 

 spot and ponder on lofty, soul-exhilarating subjects that the celestial 

 Thrush hymn ever calls forth. We feel that the inspired songster is 

 possessed of arcana ceslestia and revere him accordingly. 



Cello. — The golden beauty of the cello and the molten melody of 

 the Wood Thrush! If the Hermit is silvery, the Wood is certainly 

 golden. His voice suggests a religiously-calm sunset, corresponding 

 to the full, rich quality of the instrument. 



Viol. — We have no good representative of the bass viol among the 

 the birds; the deep, rasping, ominous tone it produces can hardly be ex- 

 pected from a diminutive bird-throat. So far as the rasping quality is 

 concerned, the Grasshopper Sparrow's insect-like note might well be its 

 counterpart. Furthermore, the bird and the instrument both form back- 

 grounds in their respectiye orchestras. 



Obo. — The restful beauty of the shepherd's pipe in the "New World 

 Symphony" is characteristic of the pathetic but contented strain of the 

 Wood Pewee, that heavenly, peaceful "pe-a-wee, pe-ai" that lasts all 

 day. Considering how often we hear the Pewee's unhurried note, we 

 certainly tire of it, after all other and better singers are out of favor; 

 so with the constantly chanting obo. 



Clarinet. — The free, cheery, mellow quality of the clarinet intimate- 

 ly suggests the wild, ringing music of the Louisiana Waterthrush. The 

 clarinet is a pastoral instrument, but less dreamy — more animated — 

 than the obo. If the obo tells of the gold-bathed meadows on a peace- 

 ful June evening, the clarinet expresses the content and fervor that 

 pervade the May woods; pastoral it is, but possessed of a woody flavor 

 as well. 



English horn. — Just as the English horn combines the ennui of the 

 obo and the peaceful joy of the clarinet, so the plaintive chant of the 

 Field Sparrow fuses the languor of the Pewee and the rustic view of 



