Uwu

SATB divisi, 5’10”

Under the rain trees
Waits the little bird
Until mother sun arises

words by Kenneth Tay

The morning calls of the Asian Koel (eudynamys scolopaceus) is often heard in many parts of suburban Singapore. Heard more often than it is seen, the bird makes distinctively loud, repetitive, and high-pitched “uwu” mating calls from dawn. The koel is fairly large, growing up to about 45cm in length, despite the description here of a “little bird”. While some residents are enthralled by the singing of the bird, others are inconvenienced by it. The text used in this piece is an acrostic poem written by the composer – a play on the same “uwu” sounds made by nature’s alarm clock.

This work is published by Muziksea.