On May 27th, 1784, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart met a flirtatious little starling who sang (an improved version of!) the theme from his Piano Concerto Number 17 in G to him. Knowing a kindred spirit when he met one, Mozart wrote “That was wonderful” in his journal and took the bird home to be his pet. For three years Mozart and his family enjoyed the uniquely delightful company of the starling until one April morning when the bird passed away.
In 2013, Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Crow Planet, rescued her own starling, Carmen, who has become a part of her family. In Mozart’s Starling, Haupt explores the unlikely bond between one of history’s most controversial characters and one of history’s most notoriously disliked birds. Part natural history, part story, Mozart’s Starling will delight readers as they learn about language, music, and the secret world of starlings.
In 2013, Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Crow Planet, rescued her own starling, Carmen, who has become a part of her family. In Mozart’s Starling, Haupt explores the unlikely bond between one of history’s most controversial characters and one of history’s most notoriously disliked birds. Part natural history, part story, Mozart’s Starling will delight readers as they learn about language, music, and the secret world of starlings.
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Reviews
Mozart's Starling is a delightful, enlightening, breathless flight through the worlds of Carmen and Star, two European starlings who join their human counterparts in exploring life and music and nature, helping to shed light on the connection between humans and birds-those of us bound to terra firma, and those of us who are free to soar
Mozart's Starling sparkles with imagination, emotion, and insight. Thank you, Lyanda Lynn Haupt, for showing us the delight and magic of a starling.
Haupt's book has a sprightly energy of its own and is crammed with intelligent observations about what it is like to live with a starling.
A compelling blend of natural history, biography and memoir
This is a charming book, and a nuanced one, too. Carmen herself offers a unique window on both the avian and musical worlds, and in so doing leaves us in doubt that this much-maligned species is also blessed with many charms.
A delightful book, whose pages are enlivened by the subversive presence of [Haupt's] pet starling, Carmen.