“It seems to be a rule of thumb that modestly colored birds are

among the most gifted singers. There is perhaps a good reason

for this: whereas brightly colored birds tend to use their gay

patterns to advertise themselves, many of the drab, streaky

birds of the fields and plains can only advertise vocally .... the

skylark, colorless on the ground, dominates many acres of meadow

from its aerial vantage point ...... Peterson, "The Birds"

In western music, the lark has lent its name and personality to composers including Haydn, Vaughn Williams and Ruth Crawford Seeger. My interest in the lark, specifically the skylark (alauda arvensis) was at first inspired by Gloria Sewell, who upon discussing the present work, suggested that both the Haydn "Lark" and the fact that the performers had given themselves the name "Lark", be used as springboard in my creative thinking. I studied the Haydn, and indeed have used some small quotes from transitional material in my work. However, it is the bird itself, both singularly and in flock, that suggested tempo, texture and gesture for the composition. Larks are champion flyers and singers. Larks nest in open country. Such large expanses cause them to run, rather than hop and when flying - to perform conspicuous display flights during which they sing. They tend to whirl and wheel about in the air with spurts of vigorous energy before landing. Musically, I sought to capture the feeling of several larks in flight as they circle, passing both motion and song equally among them. Anyone who has ever spent time watching three or four birds flying updrafts, knows the exuberation of the incomplete swoop, the near miss of two birds as they dive to capture the other's drafts, and the wonder at the ability to remain aloft. I have tried to suggest this feeling in ALAUDA, Concert Piece for String Quartet.