The Chough
The Chough for solo Bassoon was written for Clare Trim in 2009. A Chough is a bird which is a member of the crow family. It is distinctive with a red beak and legs, and a high-pitched ‘chi-ow’ call from which it gets its name. It is extremely acrobatic and its tumbling display flights make a truly impressive sight.
The Chough is present on the Cornish coat of arms along with a fisherman and a miner, reflecting the bird’s importance in Cornish culture. King Arthur is reported in Cornish legend to have transformed into a chough when he died, the red feet and beak representing his violent, bloody end.
The number of choughs in Cornwall gradually declined throughout the 1900’s and in 1952 the last pair of Choughs nested on Cornwall. In 2001 however Choughs returned to Cornwall and their population is on the rise once more.