Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

DMA

College

College of Creative Arts

Department

School of Music

Committee Chair

Peter Amstutz

Committee Co-Chair

Kelly Burke

Committee Member

Lucy Mauro

Committee Member

Beth Royall

Committee Member

Kym Scott

Abstract

Birdsong-inspired music makes up a small but important part of the classical piano repertoire. This paper reviews birdsong in classical music since the seventeenth century, exploring different techniques for mimicking birdsong and the unique strengths of the piano as an instrument for purveying bird music. In the Baroque and Classical eras, the cuckoo song was sampled often because of its simplicity. Later, composers’ attention turned toward more complicated songs, like that of the hermit thrush. Interest in more complex songs led to experimentation in notation and a push for more accurate transcriptions. In the 20th century, composers included recordings of birdsong into their works. Olivier Messiaen is a towering figure in the field of birdsong-inspired music. In Catalogue d’oiseaux and other works, he pioneered several important techniques for transcribing birdsong for the piano. Messiaen and other composers wrote pieces in which birds have spiritual connotations. Across the repertoire, birds symbolize flight, freedom, and transcendental beauty.

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