Birds by Gordon Mooney and Barbara Mooney

Over the winter of 1995/96 we recorded this collection of music inspired by the birds. Birds are all around us - those beautiful feathered creatures who mastered the skill of flight long before our clumsy machines took to the air. Our language, our folklore and our music has been profoundly influenced by the birds/ Birds have sustained, educated, entertained and fascinated us through the ages. Bird song has inspired many composers.
We have drawn together a musical ornithology drawn from mostly traditional music sources. The music of Ireland and Scotland has many tunes named for birds - the mountains, moorland and coastline of those countries providing some of the most spectacular bird habitats and inspirations for musicians. In arranging the tunes we have used both simple treatments using acoustic instruments and some more complex tracks using midipipes and arranging software. We hope that you enjoy the music for the birds. It is now 2016 and I am shocked when looking at the rapid demise of many of the bird species that we featured on this album. How soon until there is a Silent Spring. Something is going wrong...scavenger birds like the Herring gull are increasing in numbers while many other species are declining. Is it climate change , habitat loss or humans causing the loss of so many birds. Whatever is going on signals an ecosystem out of balance.

Tracklist

1.	The Curlew	3:11

2.	The Lark in the Clear Air	2:24

3.	The Swallow Tail Reel	1:58

4.	The Hawk	3:54

5.	The Osprey	3:00

6.	The Seagull	3:09

7.	Capercaillie	2:56

8.	The Pigeon on the Gate	2:03

9.	The Eagles Nest	1:06

10.	The Lapwings Jig	1:18

11.	The Lark in the Morning	2:26

12.	The Cuckoo	2:14

13.	The Cuckoo and Fly Like a Bird	2:49

14.	Virgin Pullets, Chickens and Sparrowgrass	2:36

15.	The Blackbird	2:24

16.	The Corncrake amang the Whinny Knowes	2:38

17.	The Great Skua	2:35

18.	The Flight of the Eaglets	2:52

19.	The Blackcocks of Berriedale (Reel of the Blackcocks)	2:48

Credits

released March 16, 2016

Musicians - Gordon Mooney - Border, Northumbrian, Scottish Smallpipes, MIDI pipes
Barbara Mooney - Bassoon, Silver Flute, Wooden Flute, Whistles, Keyboard.
With much assistance from Tom Roseburgh, David Little and David Coyle
Recorded and mixed at Sound Station, Galashiels, Scotland 1996

Big thank you to Charlie Young for the use of his prototype MIDI pipe and to Tom Roseburgh for doing all the computer arranging.

Barbara Mooney studied music at York University ,graduating in 1976. She has taught woodwind instruments to many young people in Lothian Region and Scottish Borders and has played as a bassoonist in many ensembles and orchestras. Her playing and arrangements can also be heard on "O'er the Border (Temple Records COMD 2031 and on 'Song for Yarrow'.

Gordon Mooney has been playing bagpipes from age 7. He has been a player, researcher and maker at the forefront of the revival of Scottish smallpipes and Border Bagpipes. He has published several tunebooks and a tutor for the Cauld Wind Bagpipes and is a founder member of the Lowland and Border Pipers Society. His recordings include the groundbreaking 'O'er the Border' Temple Records 2031, Grand Piping Concert - Greentrax cdtrax 110 and in 1993 he got a Billboard award for contribution to a compilation album 'Global Meditation'.

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