Music archive entry

Flexible - four melody lines

Serenity interspersed with periods of frantic activity is the theme of the piece which is intended to depict a scene across the Medway estuary at a point known as Horrid Hill, a winter haven for several hundred thousand wading birds. The calm stillness of the estuary in winter time is randomly interrupted by furious activity from the birds. The piece does not attempt to mimic birdsong, but merely suggests the mood of the scene. The opening three chords and following motifs are pivotal throughout the piece, used both tranquilly and rhythmically. The jazz like phrases of lines 1 & 2 at bar 90 suggest music heard in the distance fading in and out over the estuary from perhaps a distant radio, interrupting the stillness.

The opening three chords return in the closing bars, once again setting the scene as dusk approaches and the avian activity dies down, leaving just the fading light and flurries of evening breezes.