The Song of the Elusive Bird
For the last several days there has been a bird just outside our house making a call that outlines an 'e flat' minor chord in this order Eb-Bb-Gb (For the non-musicians reading this, a chord is at least 3 musical tones that are played together. To 'outline' a chord means to play the notes of the chord in succession.) While it is common to hear a bird sing a familiar musical interval (the distance between two tones), it is another thing to hear one spell out all three notes of a chord so clearly. This particular bird has been singing his minor chord over and over and over. It reminds me of the days when I had to play arpeggio practice on my cello, only this bird does not keep making mistakes.
In an effort to identify the bird, I have stood by my screen door scanning the trees trying to find him, but he is elusive. I spent a bit of time searching the Internet. Even my Facebook friends failed. Instead of the assistance I longed for I got comments like "Maybe it was a minor bird." (Ha,ha, very funny.)
My Internet searching for songbird sounds and birds that live in my area (there are over 400 varieties here--that's a lot of bird song to sift through), led me to some interesting discussions about the sounds that birds make. Did you know the most common interval in bird song is the minor third? (The cuckoo bird sings a minor third.) Minor intervals and minor chords sound sad and composers will quite often write music in minor keys to denote sadness, mourning and misery. On the contrary, a major interval and a major chord usually sounds more uplifting.
What is striking about the song of the bird outside my house is this: the two intervals he sings to make up the minor chord are both major intervals (the perfect fifth and the major third). If he had chosen to sing a major third first and then a perfect fifth, instead of the beautiful, but sad minor chord, he would have made something quite clashy and unpleasant. If his song had been just the first interval or just the second interval, the song would have been quite happy sounding.
This leads me to the common question "Why do birds tend to sing in a minor key?) Of the articles I read all ended the discussion with some serious head-scratching. I would like to propose, and it is not a new idea, that the reason birds sing in a minor key is because of the fall of man. Romans 8:20-22 (ESV) states,
When man fell, the entire creation was subjected to the curse, and so, I believe the sad tones we hear in the music of the birds is a bit of that groaning.
What I did not mention about this lovely (and sometimes annoying) bird song is that he makes his music in a light and quick manner, almost with urgency. He is sad, but he is hopeful and excited. Even the bird knows one day they will be delivered.
So when I listen to the little bird (I can hear him as I write.), I am reminded that though I live in a sinful and miserable world, I, too, should be hopeful and excited. One day we will see the world restored to its original beauty and perfection. The curse will be no more. We have that hope in us, because of our Messiah, Yeshua, who took the curse for us.
Romans 8:23-24a
In an effort to identify the bird, I have stood by my screen door scanning the trees trying to find him, but he is elusive. I spent a bit of time searching the Internet. Even my Facebook friends failed. Instead of the assistance I longed for I got comments like "Maybe it was a minor bird." (Ha,ha, very funny.)
My Internet searching for songbird sounds and birds that live in my area (there are over 400 varieties here--that's a lot of bird song to sift through), led me to some interesting discussions about the sounds that birds make. Did you know the most common interval in bird song is the minor third? (The cuckoo bird sings a minor third.) Minor intervals and minor chords sound sad and composers will quite often write music in minor keys to denote sadness, mourning and misery. On the contrary, a major interval and a major chord usually sounds more uplifting.
What is striking about the song of the bird outside my house is this: the two intervals he sings to make up the minor chord are both major intervals (the perfect fifth and the major third). If he had chosen to sing a major third first and then a perfect fifth, instead of the beautiful, but sad minor chord, he would have made something quite clashy and unpleasant. If his song had been just the first interval or just the second interval, the song would have been quite happy sounding.
This leads me to the common question "Why do birds tend to sing in a minor key?) Of the articles I read all ended the discussion with some serious head-scratching. I would like to propose, and it is not a new idea, that the reason birds sing in a minor key is because of the fall of man. Romans 8:20-22 (ESV) states,
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
When man fell, the entire creation was subjected to the curse, and so, I believe the sad tones we hear in the music of the birds is a bit of that groaning.
What I did not mention about this lovely (and sometimes annoying) bird song is that he makes his music in a light and quick manner, almost with urgency. He is sad, but he is hopeful and excited. Even the bird knows one day they will be delivered.
So when I listen to the little bird (I can hear him as I write.), I am reminded that though I live in a sinful and miserable world, I, too, should be hopeful and excited. One day we will see the world restored to its original beauty and perfection. The curse will be no more. We have that hope in us, because of our Messiah, Yeshua, who took the curse for us.
Romans 8:23-24a
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies, for in this hope we were saved.
~Joy
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