Music from Another Species

Considered by many to be the most accomplished songbird in Australia, the pied butcherbird is known for its ability to skillfully craft new and complex melodies. Each vocalist sings differently from the next; their nocturnal solo songs can span up to seven hours; and they are superb mimics. With songs that transform annually, these feathered choristers provide a rich bounty of complex musical phrases to celebrate.

Music from Another Species is an inspired zoömusicological analysis of these avian vocalizations with strong overlaps to diverse music produced by humans. In this culmination of over twenty years of recording, author Hollis Taylor notates 100 individual vocalizations. The collected transcriptions feature comparisons of bird solos across geography and across time (at the same site on different years), elegant and virtuosic variations between subspecies, and even duets and larger ensembles, allowing readers to immerse themselves in avian song culture replete with musicality and invention.

Complete with online audio files and outback images, Music from Another Species opens the door for us to find the exuberance, timbral riches, chromatic flourishes, and enchanting melodies of the pied butcherbird.