Wofgang Amadeus Mozart kept a starling as a pet for 3 years.
Quote: "Mozart recorded the purchase of his starling in a diary of expenses, along with a transcription of a melody whistled by the bird and a compliment. The theme whistled by the starling must have fascinated Mozart for several reasons. The tune was certainly familiar, as it closely resembles a theme that occurs in the final movement of the Piano Concerto in G Major, K. 453.
"Mozart recorded the completion of this work in his catalogue on 12 April in the same year. He sent the music to his father in Salzburg. The letter to his father is dated 26 May 1784, one day before the entry in his diary about the starling.
"Mozart's relationship with the starling thus begins on a tantalizing note. How did the bird acquire Mozart's music? [...] We entertain the possibility that Mozart, like other animal lovers, had already visited the shop and interacted with the starling before 27 May. Mozart was known to hum and whistle a good deal. Why should he refrain in the presence of a bird that seems to elicit such behavior so easily?"
Exif: ISO 100 ; f/1.2 ; 1/1250 @85mm
Subject distance: 1.65m
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