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“The Waning Moments of Raphus Cucullatus” is a musical narrative of the last moments of the last dodo bird. The piece was inspired by a passage in journalist/author David Quammen’s fascinating book, “The Song of the Dodo”, which imagines just such a moment and meditates on what extinction really means.
The last living dodo was seen by a marooned Dutch sailor on an islet near Mauritius in the Indian Ocean in 1662. The species likely went extinct shortly thereafter.
Written for accordion, bass accordion, and electric guitar, the original composition was created in 2013, and recorded in 2017.
Released November 17, 2020
Peter Flint, accordion and bass accordion
Ben Kaplan, guitar
Mixed and edited by Peter Flint.
Recorded at the Barn at Flint Woods, Delaware, 2017.