“Dusk in June” is a lovely composition for a cappella women’s voices, set to a poem by Sara Teasdale:
"Evening, and all the birds
In a chorus of shimmering sound
Are easing their hearts of joy…"
Composer Amy Beach beautifully captures that shimmering sound. Ornithologists agree that many birds sing at dusk — but they are not entirely convinced that joy is the reason.
They do have some ideas.
At dusk, the air becomes more stable, the wind often dies down and the noise of the day fades. Sound carries farther and more clearly.
Another possibility is simply timing. As the light fades, finding food becomes more difficult — not worth the effort. A male who is no longer foraging, but not yet ready to roost, may spend that time singing.
Some researchers have suggested that artificial light keeps birds singing later into the evening, and that may well be true today. But light pollution not an issue when Teasdale wrote her poem.
Still, I find myself agreeing with her final lines:
"The air is blue and sweet,
The few first stars are white,
Oh let me like the birds
Sing before night."
Ornithologists may explain why birds sing at dusk. Poets remind us why we stop to listen.
And on a quiet spring evening, when the air is blue and sweet and the first stars appear, I find it hard to argue with Sara Teasdale.
