Compositions painting the majesty of mountain ranges and rivers abound, but there are also many that single out individual species. I recently discovered a composition dedicated to the migration of the passenger pigeon, written by Anthony Philip Heinrich. It received virtually no attention and hence just recently premiered in North America after rediscovery by folks at Yale University. The Franke Program in Science and the Humanities presents “The Columbiad.” the Yale Symphony Orchestra performing. Here is the safe filtered link.
Spoiler alert, the passenger pigeon still thrived during the time of Heinrich’s work (declared extinct in 1914). There is now a growing effort towards de-extinction, hoping to bring back this once thriving and iconic American forest-dwelling pigeon.
