A Famous Composer and the Music of Flies

October 09, 2008

Last night I had the pleasure of meeting pianist and composer Liz Story, who is a three-time Grammy nominee. She and her husband, bassist Joel DiBartolo, have together and separately been involved in creating some of the world's most memorable music. (The famous du da du da in the "Jaws" soundtrack, "Saturday Night Fever," "Star Wars," Story's famous Windham Hill recordings...)

Liz Story

Story mentioned how she used to live on the top of a mountain in near solitude. She didn't even have a refrigerator or the usual mess of noisy electrical appliances that most of us have. So her environment was quiet, save for the sounds provided by nature and her music.

One day a fly came into the domed area where her piano was. The fly sounded incredibly loud, with no humming refrigerator, loud airplane or buzzing computer to diminish its sound-producing power.  Distracted, Story tried to match the fly's noise to a musical note. She finally figured it out. Flies buzz in the key of "F." (The same thing happened when a big bumblebee made its way into her studio. The bee buzzed in the key of "E" flat.)

So much of her work arises from a genuine interest in nature. Her latest CD, "Night Sky Essays," is a beautiful compilation inspired by the 12 constellations of the zodiac. You can read and hear about it by clicking on this link. I was next to a scientist from NASA who said he and his colleagues often play this CD as they study the planets and stars.

So many great artists, like Story, tell me of their interest in animals, birds and insects, even something as seemingly lowly as a fly. (I semi-dissed cockroaches yesterday, but they are fascinating creatures too. They live in a true democracy, but I'll save that discussion for another time.) The next time a fly buzzes past you, listen carefully to it and consider the complexity of this tiny creature.