Music by birds on a wire

A Brazilian musician has just completed a collaboration with an unusual partner: a large group of birds sitting on telephone wires.

According to the Daily Mail, Jarbas Agnelli saw a newspaper photo of a large flock of black birds sitting on the wires and recognized that their configuration looked very much like a musical score.

Starting from there, he arranged and recorded a composition, using xylophone, bassoon, oboe and clarinet and, of course, the notes laid out by the birds.

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

"The pleasing melody is not my invention. It was the birds' idea," Agnelli told the Daily Mail. "The notes are the exact position of the birds (in between the lines). The rhythm is a interpretation of their position, since there are no bar lines."

No word yet on whether the birds have engaged representation or what kind of royalties they will be asking for.

[01Phyxius]

Sweet. I like it!

[ikramerica--2008]

Yes, random notes. Then sweetened up to sound like something, but still random. Sounds like something someone might right in a middle school music class where you are assigned the xylophone...

[xggrand]

PBS (American Public Broadcasting System) has been using this idea in their network ID clips for a couple of years. A composer sits in his studio, stuck for ideas. Then he sees a bunch of birds on the wires outside his window. He plays the notes they represent on his piano, then is able to complete a musical movement with what they inspire.

[mooseontheloose89]

Fortunately, these birds aren't the kind that demand royalties, unlike other buzzards I know (RIAA).

[greyghost1934]

Birds On A Wire Song great melody!

[kltron]

Heh, yeah, it reminded me of the PBS thing. Nice melody.

I recall from a TV show (Nova?) that by assigning each part of a DNA sequence (A, C, T, and G) to notes, healthy DNA sequences sound pleasant when played. If something isn't right, it's obvious to the ear. (How "scientific" and reliable this eventually turned out to be I don't recall.)

Earlier this year I used the scale created by the spring on a cabin door to put music behind a "trip report" of a jaunt friends and I took (YouTube "Bartlett Inn Weekend"). It's not unusual to find inspiration in all kinds of places.