The Feast of Buzzards is a little thing I wrote that is to be a part of a larger compilation work called The Symphonie of Birds. Several artists were assigned a bird and asked to create a piece of music depicting the character of the bird. I was assigned the buzzard. When composing this work, this is the "movie" that was running through my mind upon which the music was based:

The Feast of Buzzards Imagine a large beast like a bison slowly walking through a dried up river bed with high cliffs either side. The sun is beating down. The beast is dying of slowly thirst but the search for water goes on. High over head the buzzards are circling on the thermals, looking down on the beast as it struggles to take each step.

Eventually, it all proves to much and the beast collapses to the ground, utterly exhausted, it's life ebbing away. Pushed at last far beyond the limits of it's ability to endure the lonely suffering of the great beast comes to an end. The buzzards see the opportunity, their endless circling slowly but surely descending towards the ground. Timidly at first, almost with an air of suspicion, the buzzards land and lightly make their way over to the corpse. A little peck.

Then another and another. A sudden pause of indecision ending with the realisation that the beast is dead. The then buzzards fall onto it's still warm body in a chaotic riot of ripping and tearing. There is no order. No quarter given. A feeding frenzy. Torn flesh. Slashed blood. Talon gouged bone.

In the end, all that remains are the dry bones bleaching beneath the oppressive sun in solitude as that lay in the dust.

hope you all enjoy...

cheers Clarky