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Metier

Because They Have Songs

$25.99

Details

Composer
Edward Cowie
Artist
Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
Format
CD
Label
Metier
Released
Sep 19, 2025
Catalog #
MEX77122
UPC
809730712227

About

Edward Cowie is one of the most notable voices in contemporary music and considered by many to be the "leading contemporary composer of music that is related to the natural world" (Fanfare). A remarkable polymath, Cowie is renowned as a composer, visual artist, and natural scientist. Because They Have Songs is the fourth in Cowie's epic series of duo-works featuring cycles of stunning 'sonic portraits' of birds he has encountered on his travels across the world, exploring the relationships between the bird singers, and where and how they sing. It follows three highly acclaimed releases featuring birds of the UK (Bird Portraits MSV 28619), Australia (Where Song Was Born MSV 28620) and the US (Where the Wood Thrush Forever Sings MEX 77104), each highlighting 24 distinct bird species. This latest release, the fifteenth to feature his music on the Metier label, is devoted to 24 avian wonders of Africa. The title of the album is taken from a traditional African text which says, "Why do birds sing? Because they have songs". Edward Cowie went on safari to remote parts of Botswana, across dense bush and open plains where giraffe, wildebeest, zebra and antelope roam, through vast wetlands, majestic rivers and lakes, and shrub-dotted deserts. On his journey he sketched what he saw (included in the album booklet) and transcribed the natural sounds of insects, the noises of animals in movement, and the magnificent and powerful voices of African birds in all their moods and colours. The result is a vibrant and awe-inspiring interweaving of not only the sounds of singing creatures but also the rich environment in which they sing. The album has revelatory performances from Gerard McChrystal, justly hailed as a "magician" on saxophone, partnered with Richard Shaw's superb craftsmanship on piano, a comprehensive coupling of technique and imagination. Cowie's earlier albums in the bird song sonic portrait series received resounding praise worldwide and are poised to become iconic chamber masterpieces on the global stage: "You may well be thinking 'but Messiaen has already done it'. But Cowie's approach is gentler, almost more loving." -MusicWeb "imaginative, captivating and really very moving" -The Strad "Cowie is an endlessly inventive composer and this is a treat" -BBC Music Magazine

Tracklist 24 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 I. White-crested Turaco 04:29
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. White-crested Turaco
    Duration
    04:29
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  3. 2 II. Black-collared Barbet 04:11
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Black-collared Barbet
    Duration
    04:11
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  4. 3 III. Southern Pied Babbler 03:57
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Southern Pied Babbler
    Duration
    03:57
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  5. 4 IV. Kori Bustard 03:35
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Kori Bustard
    Duration
    03:35
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  6. 5 V. Ledder Striped Swallow 03:06
    Track
    5
    Title
    V. Ledder Striped Swallow
    Duration
    03:06
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  7. 6 VI. Verreaux's Eagle Owl 03:16
    Track
    6
    Title
    VI. Verreaux's Eagle Owl
    Duration
    03:16
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  8. 7 I. Scarlet-chested Sunbird 03:54
    Track
    7
    Title
    I. Scarlet-chested Sunbird
    Duration
    03:54
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  9. 8 II. Maribou Stork 03:16
    Track
    8
    Title
    II. Maribou Stork
    Duration
    03:16
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  10. 9 III. Bearded Woodpecker 04:01
    Track
    9
    Title
    III. Bearded Woodpecker
    Duration
    04:01
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  11. 10 IV. Hildebrandt's Spurfowl 03:32
    Track
    10
    Title
    IV. Hildebrandt's Spurfowl
    Duration
    03:32
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  12. 11 V. Blacksmith Lapwing with Skimmers 04:19
    Track
    11
    Title
    V. Blacksmith Lapwing with Skimmers
    Duration
    04:19
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  13. 12 VI. Redcrested Korhaan 04:13
    Track
    12
    Title
    VI. Redcrested Korhaan
    Duration
    04:13
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  14. Disc 2
  15. 1 I. Speckled Mouse Bird 02:48
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Speckled Mouse Bird
    Duration
    02:48
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  16. 2 II. African Green Pigeon 03:41
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. African Green Pigeon
    Duration
    03:41
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  17. 3 III. Pied Kingfisher 03:32
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Pied Kingfisher
    Duration
    03:32
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  18. 4 IV. Saddle-billed Stork 03:29
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Saddle-billed Stork
    Duration
    03:29
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  19. 5 V. Black-necked Weaver 03:39
    Track
    5
    Title
    V. Black-necked Weaver
    Duration
    03:39
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  20. 6 VI. Southern Ground-Hornbill 03:38
    Track
    6
    Title
    VI. Southern Ground-Hornbill
    Duration
    03:38
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  21. 7 I. African Skimmer 04:16
    Track
    7
    Title
    I. African Skimmer
    Duration
    04:16
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  22. 8 II. Burchell's Starling 03:28
    Track
    8
    Title
    II. Burchell's Starling
    Duration
    03:28
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  23. 9 III. Cape Turtle Dove 03:45
    Track
    9
    Title
    III. Cape Turtle Dove
    Duration
    03:45
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  24. 10 IV. African Crowned Eagle 03:35
    Track
    10
    Title
    IV. African Crowned Eagle
    Duration
    03:35
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  25. 11 V. Helmeted Guinea Fowl 03:11
    Track
    11
    Title
    V. Helmeted Guinea Fowl
    Duration
    03:11
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw
  26. 12 VI. Ostrich 03:13
    Track
    12
    Title
    VI. Ostrich
    Duration
    03:13
    Composer
    Edward Cowie
    Performer
    Gerard McChrystal, Richard Shaw