Birdsong Rhapsody III

Solo oboe, c.6'50.   Advanced Grade 8

Birdsong Rhapsody III for solo oboe is in seven sections, marked off by changes of time signature and tempo. The first, fifth and seventh sections are based on transcriptions of the songs of the Grey Butcherbird that I recorded in East Geelong. The last of these sections, marked Scherzando, is a dance-like amalgam of Grey Butcherbird song fragments which surprisingly use compound duple time. The other four sections are inspired by musical ideas derived from these songs, and from other sources. For example, I wrote most of Birdsong Rhapsody III while on a trip to Northern Europe in May/June, 2024, and have incorporated, in the brief section 6 (Calmo), a fragment of oboe melody from Sibelius’s Wedding Song (“The Language of the Birds”), following a visit to Sibelius’ family home, Ainola, near Helsinki.

Composed 2021

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• Birdsong Rhapsody III - sheet music

ISMN 9790673146808
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