Edward Cowie is one of the most notable voices in contemporary music and considered by many to be the “leading contemporary composer of music that is related to the natural world” (Fanfare). A remarkable polymath, Cowie is renowned as a composer, visual artist, and natural scientist.

Because They Have Songs is the fourth in Cowie’s epic series of duo-works featuring cycles of stunning “sonic portraits” of birds he has encountered on his travels across the world, exploring the relationships between the bird singers, and where and how they sing. It follows three highly acclaimed releases featuring birds of the UK (Bird Portraits, MSV 28619), Australia (Where Song Was Born, MSV28620) and the US (Where the Wood Thrush Forever Sings, MEX77104), each highlighting 24 distinct bird species.

This latest release, the fifteenth to feature his music on the Métier label, is devoted to 24 avian wonders of Africa. The title of the album is taken from a traditional African text which says, “Why do birds sing? Because they have songs”. Edward Cowie went on safari to remote parts of Botswana, across dense bush and open plains where giraffe, wildebeest, zebra and antelope roam, through vast wetlands, majestic rivers and lakes, and shrub-dotted deserts. On his journey he sketched what he saw (included in the album booklet) and transcribed the natural sounds of insects, the noises of animals in movement, and the magnificent and powerful voices of African birds in all their moods and colours. The result is a vibrant and awe-inspiring interweaving of not only the sounds of singing creatures but also the rich environment in which they sing.

The album has revelatory performances from Gerard McChrystal, justly hailed as a “magician” on saxophone, partnered with Richard Shaw’s superb craftsmanship on piano, a comprehensive coupling of technique and imagination.

Cowie’s earlier albums in the bird song sonic portrait series received resounding praise worldwide and are poised to become iconic chamber masterpieces on the global stage:

“You may well be thinking ‘but Messiaen has already done it’. But Cowie’s approach is gentler, almost more loving.” – MusicWeb

“imaginative, captivating and really very moving” – The Strad

“Cowie is an endlessly inventive composer and this is a treat” – BBC Music Magazine