Birdwing
Frances White
About this work:
Birdwing
1. I am lucky to be at the lake so early, while everything is frozen and unmoving: I can see the three little marks a sparrow's wing left in the snow.
In a moment, the wind will blow over them and they will be gone.
2. We know of a place where woodcocks live. They are secretive and mysterious birds. Every spring we go to witness their nocturnal flight.
To do this requires standing in an open field at dusk and waiting: waiting for the daytime birds to go to sleep, waiting for stillness, waiting for the sun and the moon. Only when it is too dark to see will they appear. You can't see them, but you can hear the songs their wings make as they fly, spiralling up and then dropping down.
One year we stood and waited, but they were not there. Neither seen nor heard, the birds flew only in our memories, their wings whistling.
James Pritchett
Birdwing was commissioned by the International Computer Music Association. The tape part of Birdwing was made at the Winham Laboratory, Princeton University. Special thanks also to Mahanrishi Singh Khalsa.
This piece is dedicated to Tomie Hahn.
Year composed: 1996
Duration: 00:15:00
Ensemble type: Solo instrument, non-keyboard
Instrumentation: 1 Prerecorded Sound (Tape/CD/Other), 1 Other Wind Instrument(s)
Instrumentation notes: This piece is for shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) and electronic sound played back on CD.