July 2020 BBC Wildlife 47
Gettinglostinmusicinspiredbywildlife
andtheenvironmentcanrenewour
connection with the natural world.
O
n a raweveningatthetail
endoflastyear,I found
myselfhuddledamong
a gaggleoflikeminded
peopleinSomerset.As
thelightfaded,sodid
ourchatter.Thewhisper
ofstarlingsperformingtheirsinuousaerial
balletmesmerisedus;spiritstookflight,
soaringandswoopingwithsongsand
wingbeatsclatteringsoftlylikehundredsof
paperfansunfolding.
Then,afterthelastofthebirds’calls
ebbedaway,wewereledalonga storm-
lashedshore,andambledupriveralong
meanderswrithingwithelvers.A trioof
microadventures– allexperiencednot
amongthereedbedsoftheSomersetLevels
orontheQuantockcoast,butina smallarts
venueincentralBath.
Mylyricalguidefortheeveningwas
Bristol-basedsinger-songwriterKitty
Macfarlane.Starling Song, which opened
herjoyfulset,featuresrecordingsofa
murmurationbut,intruth,capturesthe
essenceofthatluminousexperiencemore
intune,rhythmandrhyme.“Above,a
leviathanassemblesinthesky...Theyfly
overthestoriesheldinthepeat/ Telling
theirownina millionwingbeats.”
Macfarlaneis amonga swellingwaveof
nature-inspiredmusicians,particularlyfolk
singers– butnotexclusively.“Today,ina
veryevolvedmusicindustry,it’sinteresting
seeinghownatureis startingtoappearin
manydifferentgenres,artisticstylesand
usages– fromthehighlyconceptualand
avant-gardetothestraight-down-the-line
folk,”saysfolksingerandactivistSamLee.
It’ssurelymorethanmerecoincidence
thatthesevoicesareintunewiththose
ofactiviststacklingwiderenvironmental
andconservationconcerns,ata time
whenclimatechangeandplasticpollution
dominateheadlinesandconsciences.
Rather than preaching, though, at the heart
oftheirsongs– lendingthemtheirinherent
beautyandappeal– is a profoundloveof
thenaturalworld.
“Ithinkthatseepsintomysongs,but
hopefullyina waythatisn’tjustpastoraland
twee,”saysKitty.“ThethingI reallywant
toinvestigatewithmusicandwords,and
recordingsofthesoundsofnature,is our
relationshipandfragiletieswiththeland.”
I
t’shardlya novelidea,ofcourse.
Britishfolkmusicwasbornfromour
countrysideandwildlife.Thelovesongs,
theeerietales,thepost-battlelaments,
themurderballads– somanyevokethe
land,thesky,thesea,andthecreaturesand
treeslivinginandonthem.
“Lookat thetraditionalmusicofany
culture– notjustBritishfolk– andit’s
devotionalmusictowardsourrelationship
withtheland,”musesSam.“Itmayhave
evolvedintoa veryhumanandintellectual
relationship, but that’s what its purpose was.”
ByPaul Bloom eldIllustrations Sue Gent
Talking
point
in the key of life