On May 27th, 1784, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart met a flirtatious little starling in a Viennese shop who sang an improvised version of the theme from his Piano Concerto no. 17 in G major. Sensing a kindred spirit in the plucky young bird, Mozart bought him and took him home to be a family pet. For three years, the starling lived with Mozart, influencing his work and serving as his companion, … distraction, consolation, and muse.
Two centuries later, starlings are reviled by even the most compassionate conservationists. A nonnative, invasive species, they invade sensitive habitats, outcompete local birds for nest sites and food, and decimate crops. A seasoned birder and naturalist, Lyanda Lynn Haupt is well versed in the difficult and often strained relationships these birds have with other species and the environment. But after rescuing a baby starling of her own, Haupt found herself enchanted by the same intelligence and playful spirit that had so charmed her favorite composer.
In Mozart’s Starling, Haupt explores the unlikely and remarkable bond between one of history’s most cherished composers and one of earth’s most common birds. The intertwined stories of Mozart’s beloved pet and Haupt’s own starling provide an unexpected window into human-animal friendships, music, the secret world of starlings, and the nature of creative inspiration. A blend of natural history, biography, and memoir, Mozart’s Starling is a tour de force that awakens a surprising new awareness of our place in the world.
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Wonderful! Read it!
True confession: I’m not a big fan of nonfiction. It’s not that I have anything against authors who make valiant efforts to record reality, but every minute I spend reading nonfiction is time that could be spent reading a novel. I love novels.
So when I bought Mozart’s Starling, somehow I’d gotten the idea it was a work of historical fiction. I mean, it’s about Mozart’s pet bird, right? But whoa, happy accident!—because I love love love this book. Part memoir, part nature essay, part travelogue—all feeding brilliant speculation based on solid historical research about the role of a domesticated starling in the life and work of Wolfgang Amadeus: it all adds up to a delightful read.
A bit of background: I knew starlings were not native to North America, but I didn’t realize they’d been labeled invasive pests. Poor European Starlings: they never asked to be brought here (fascinating story Haupt relates about their arrival in New York’s Central Park); they can’t help it they turned out to be successful breeders, the winners of the natural selection sweepstakes. And what has it earned them but the hatred and disdain of ornithologists, birders and park rangers, none of whom would pass up a chance to wipe out their nests before the eggs can hatch. Poor starlings.
Yet Author Lyanda Lynn Haupt, eco-philosopher, naturalist and professed starling hater, had an epiphany one day while listening to a Mozart symphony on Pandora when she happened to spot what she called “a plague” of starlings out on the lawn. Remembering the story of Mozart’s pet, the notion struck her that she must write about the composer’s bird. Why, she wondered, would a genius like Mozart want to hang with a despised starling?
She began her research as a good academic does, seeking out books and journals and primary sources. But soon she realized that she needed something more: to fully comprehend Mozart’s affinity for his bird, she must have her own pet starling. Thus did Haupt, her husband and daughter welcome the starling chick Carmen into their lives. And so the magic began. Haupt and her family fell in love with Carmen–and so did I.
Mozart’s Starling is filled with anecdotes of raising and living with the charming though messy Carmen. Indeed Haupt’s experiences with her own domesticated bird informs her reading of Mozart’s letters and journal entries mentioning his bird, whom may have been called “Star.” Did Mozart compose with Star on his shoulder, just as Haupt typed this manuscript with Carmen perched on hers? Did Mozart create his anomalous, at times discordant piece, Ein musikalischer Spass, as a tribute to and a mimicry of starling song? A few musicologists have ventured the theory, and Carmen’s enthusiasm for the “Musical Joke” only strengthens the argument.
Haupt also takes time to offer poetic musings on such subjects as human/animal relations, linguistics, Darwinism, the nature of time. Her observations make for a lovely, contemplative book, highly recommended for birders, musicians, environmentalists and even those of you who’d prefer to hunker down with a novel. This is a good one! Read it!