Evening star., 1933-06-26
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

| has no difficulty in following his every
note.
And in doing so the listener is in
troduced to music right out of the
| heart of Nature. Loud, yes, but never
distressing to the nervous human ear.
! There is in this loudness no slightest
suggestion of the show of" spirit which
mars so many human performances OF
all types.
This honest thrush sings because he
was made to sing, and in so doing he
achieves the artistic in way that few
do, men or birds, who are peering
around to see if any one is looking at
them.
If the listener does not choose to re-
| iect the interludes, he will find them
good by considering them in the light
of contrast.
This thrush is "modernist," in the
best sense. All unconsciously he has
hit on what many of the musical mas
ters" required centuries of progress TO
evolve. a sort of dissonance, whereby
the purity Of pure tones and rouno
notes are brought out at their true
value by following Immediately upon
notes not so round or so pure, but
even harsh.
After one of it's four sequences, our
thrush gives three short, metallic qua
verings. as if some one had struck the
reed OF tuning fork very much out
of tune.
At first hearing, these notes, If they
may be so called, strike upon tne hu-
man ear as very much out OF place,
but subsequent hearings reveal some
thing more, a real relationship TO the
pure notes before and after.
X
Has the bird enough artistic ability
| as singer. to rejoice in this bit OF IN
vention on its part?
| This must be left to the bellef OF
every nearer. Our personal opinion Is
that this particular bird is real artist,
in every sense of the word, and some :
| how in its unconscious way, has 1ull
knowledge of what it is doing. Surely
that perfect aplomb could not be
wholly chance. although the supreme
loudness of the whole performance
might be. One does not wish to mis-
| take tone quantity for a directing
brain. or even for tone Quallty, put
this bird has both.
Although his song is loud, 1t Is very
sweet, and does not stale by repeUVloIi'
nor strike the ear as overcome al
though it never ceases from morning
to night. 1t begins with the nrst
touch of light, and ends only as nlgnI
descends; but when it quits, II quits an
over, at once, tout a COUP aS 'iie
| French say.
| Even more beautiful, in thrush mu-
sic, was the song heard lot nan an
hour one glorious Sunday afternoon.
hrdvahpS 0f a tall LOCUST,
! this unseen singer, as in the wings OF
a mighty outdoor theater, sang a song
which for sheer softness and per1ec.
ton outmatched anything OF the KIND
we have ever been privileged to near.
| IT was as if a violin were playing
nouted. or some one, with an artlStlc
| snirit. rather than desire 10 impress
| the neighbors, had turned down ra-
dio to the point where It's music losI
that insufferable feel of now listen 10
rs bovs. because we are now earning
our living, and are extremely peppy.
The metallic quavers, OF which we
have snoken. were present in this song,
too hit suffused with real sweetness,
and high at the very end, lstead OF
the soft chuckling sounds uttered py
others, were two perfect, rounded notes'
high and sweet.
Happilv the very hearty singer also
! has these two notes. Like real aItlst'
| he is very chary with them, not Wishing
| to do his best too often. He reserves
/ them for odd moments, SO that they
will fall on listening ears as sweet
tonal surprise. The rest OF his song
is common enough, but these prize notes
stand out sweet and clear, and all the
better for being heard seldom.