Evening star., 1947-05-31
This and That
By Charles E. Tracewell.

One OF the marvellous things about the mock
ingbirds song is the way he serves up the songs
OF birds unknown in this area.
The other afternoon we listened to one of
these birds for many minutes, and during the
time heard at least six strange songs.
He was not named mocker for nothing this
cne; he sang on and on, with many seconds of
assorted sounds meaning nothing much. but
every now and then in would come a new one,
and this new one was utterly strange to the ear.
After listening to the local birds for time,
one comes to accept them all as a part of the
outdoors and no matter what one is doing
there, working, playing or just setting under
the influence, perhaps, of forgotten hillbilly
ancestry, they cannot go unheard.
But the moment new song comes on the
air it is picked up by those sensitive receivers,
the human ears.
Cats, dogs, all animals, including man. have
great receptivity for sounds that mean some
thing in their lives. The faithful dog learns
to listen for the step of his master; the cat
knows at the slightest rustic when beefsteak
is going to be served him, and man comes at
last to know the meaning of sounds which
mean something in his life, too.
Not the least of these are the bird songs,
II one comes to value mature cure"-tnat
cure of the human mind which comes from
giving it full access to the natural creatures,
sights and sounds.
There is healing in this sort of nature
cure at least for the human mind and spirit,
and he or she is missing something valuable
who, through custom Or what the Bible called
pride, leaves it out of life
Sound of birds in the trees, shrubs and vines
is graceful music on the untrampled ear Let us
insist on 'untrampled," because ears can be
trampled as we'll as human bodies and souls
The untrampled ear hears best when not
trying to listen too hard That is one reason
why one may question the unrestricted use
in MN lott I,oe%
appreciation is that which comes from the
individual, by himself and through himself,
unsullled by too many thoughts from others.
Human thoughts are powerful but at times
they are trying, and in nothing more so that
in the appreciation of music
The listener who knows too much about
sonata" form Cor thinks he does) and still
could not construct sonata to save his life,
really knows far less of musical appreciation
than he who merely listens with an open mind
as 1t were.
Open ears need little mind behind them
when they are listening.
Ears are one of the great avenues of learning
and appreciation and they sometimes are
stultifed by too much brains at work at the
same time.
Let the great composers think for you You
do the listening! Yours not to reason why,
just to listen.
If you talk to others, perhaps, so much the
better. Straining at the ears often causes
the soul of the music to be missed.
Bird music is tutti. all together, with back
ground noises of all kinds accompanying it.
Even the most ardent bird lover seldom perches
on his lawn to listen to their songs alone.
Usually he is talking to another. or hears the
shouts of children, the barking of dogs, the
Iut-put of boys on a new motorbie, etc.
Thus birds enjoy that best of hearing de-
vices, the human ear which it not too intent.
Never be too intent, when it comes to listen
ing to music, either bird or human.
if you are, you may miss the strange I'M
known songs of birds that never come here,
when they are given to you in your own garden
by that wonder boy, the mockinghird.
There is singer for you!
He goes it all day and sometimes he goes
it all night singing hour after hour in the
best of spirits.
How can the human soul refuse to be pla-
Gated with such music in the ears?
The only difficulty comes in listening without
too much insistence on appreciation" Forget
the word and just listen.