Celebration of the Cicada
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| David Rothenberg jamming with cicadas |
Join us for a Celebration of the Cicada on June 13, 2013 at 7:15 pm at the Black Rock Forest Consortium’s Lodge in Cornwall, NY. This fun, educational program will feature a talk and performance by author, musician and philosopher David Rothenberg, discussing his new book Bug Music (St. Martin’s Press, 2013). This event, organized by Simon Gruber in partnership with the Black Rock Forest Consortium and the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, will welcome this generation of Brood II of the 17-year cicadas back into the sunlight after 17 years underground. It will be a great event for families and children of all ages, naturalists, musicians, and anyone interested in learning more about the amazing phenomenon of the emergence and life cycle of the periodic cicadas and their niche in our region’s ecology. Space is limited. This program is free and open to the public -- donations will be gratefully accepted. Pre-registration is not required.
After their last emergence in 1996, periodic cicadas of Brood II have been emerging for several weeks in the Northeastern United States as the culmination of one seventeen-year cycle — what may be the longest larval development period of any animal. Those who experience this great sonic invasion compare their sense of wonder to the arrival of a comet or a solar eclipse. This unending rhythmic cycle is just one unique example of how the pulse and noise of insects has taught humans the meaning of rhythm, from the whirr of a cricket’s wings to this unfathomable and exact seventeen-year beat.
In listening to cicadas, as well as other humming, clicking, and thrumming insects, David’s book considers the radical notion that we humans got our idea of rhythm, synchronization, and dance from the world of insect sounds that surrounded our species over the millions of years over which we evolved. Completing the trilogy he began with Why Birds Sing and Thousand Mile Song, David Rothenberg explores a unique part of our relationship with nature and sound—the music of insects that has provided a soundtrack for humanity throughout the history of our species. Bug Music continues Rothenberg’s in-depth research and spirited writing on the relationship between human and animal music, and it follows him as he explores insect influences in classical and modern music, plays his saxophone with crickets and other insects, and confers with researchers and scientists nationwide. Visit www.bugmusicbook.com for more information about the book, his music and some fascinating information about the cicada. More information including driving and parking directions for the program are available at http://hhnaturemuseum.org/index.php/bug-music
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