SONG OF THE BIRDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20993, 2 October 1931, Page 6

SONG OF THE BIRDS.

FEATHEREET MUSICIANS. KAPITI ISLAND CHORUSES. NEW ZEALAND BUSH MELODIES. "There are two striking differences in the song of birds," said Mr. Johannes C. Andersen in an address at a Rotary Club luncheon in Wellington. "One is the wild wood song, and goes on indeterminedly without form or phrase, and never repeats itself; the other is the art song, which consists of definite and oftrepeated themes. Most of the English birds have the wild wood song, the striking exception, perhaps, being the blackbird, which is strongly imbued with art song. A German named Stadler was so impressed with the themes used by the blackbird that he wrote a book about them. Tlie thrush, one poet says, sings his song twice ovtfr, but such is not the case. The thrush's song is never the same, and certainly he does not repeat a phrase. "New Zealand birds, for the most part, have the art song, and place their notes in order like a musician. Not only that, but they have repertoires, the same as human beings. When they sing art songs they use practically the same musical notation as we do. That is not at ail impossible or illogical, as probably we sang originally as the wild birds did, and so arrived at some form of notation. Like us, the birds use tones and semi-tones, and sometimes third and quarter-tones such as occurred in the very old Maori music. Definite Motifs in Songs. "A German musician, Herr Lemmer, who 'lived in Nelson, used to take liis pupils into the bush to hear the native birds sing in orcler to illustrate at firsthand that the birds had definite motifs in their songs which could' be taken down and made into a fine- composition. I have had it recorded that a bird may recognise and repeat a theme sung by another bird, and that they may sing it together correctly and all in tune. This means that the birds know their songs in quite an intelligent way. Not only do the birds sing set phrases, but they can execute variations on them by a change of accent and tempo, and can all sing the one theme together." Mr. Andersen illustrated bis interesting theory by reference to the brown creeper, a South Island bird, which flies about ifl groups of from five to twenty-five. This bird sings a fairly long song, in which others of the group join. They have a leader, and when he happens to commence the phrase in a different way, they all start that way, placing the accent exactly as the leader has done, sometimes on the first, and sometimes on the third beat. The grey warbler is found.,in both islands, always in pairs, added Mr. Andersen, but it sings a different song in every part of New Zealand. There are two species of the grey warbler. This was not determined for some time, but could have been ascertained if the investigators had known their songs. Tui a Clever Mimic. "One of the joys of my life," Mr. Andersen saia, "is to hear the birds sing their morning chorus on Kapiti Island (which is a bird sanctuary). The tuis and the bell-birds take pleasure in the very early morning in swelling their throats in a great chorus. The tui is a clever mimic. If he would always sing his best there is not a bird on the face of the globe to touch him, but with his clear, pure notes he will introduce those mocking, harsh ones. The records we have heard of the English nightingale are rubbish alongside the lovely song of the tui. He has a range of four octaves, and usually sings in soprano register, but can soar two octaves above it. The tui can occasionally be heard singing duets with bellbirds, another artistic songster to be heard to advantage up the Wanganui River. There I have heard the tui begin a theme, and the bellbird complete it very cleverly, the tui bringing in his harsh low notes as bass to the bellbird's song. The bellbird sings - definite themes and can elaborate them with variations. The singing is usually done by the females. Birds, as a rule, have no emotional feeling in their song, but when the male bellbird sings there is nothing like his voice for feeling."