Tree Frogs of The Congo

Tree Frogs of The Congo was scored to accompany a sequence from the ‘Africa’ natural history series, filmed by the BBC. The producers provided several clips to University of the West of England, and University of Bristol students, with a brief to compose music that reflects the organisms and their habitats.

In this piece, a sparse and eerie texture is created through the use of synth pads and string harmonics, as a frog sits motionless on a leaf in the pouring rain. Delicate and playful pizzicato strings are heard as the frog eventually starts to move, and harmonic glissandos accentuate the frog’s ascent to the top of a reed. The music drops to near silence, as the frog lays completely still while an insect passes overhead. A spider can be seen lurking in the shadows, and the music takes a sinister turn with the use of tremolo strings, and other synthesised sounds. The music briefly returns to a major key as the frog sneaks past unnoticed.

In a change of scene, there are now many frogs around a small pond. The music stops entirely, so that focus is given to the sound of the frog’s mating calls. Soon after, a fight breaks out between two males. They are balanced precariously on a reed, and their repeated kicks are accented humorously by staccato strings, brass, and percussion. A frantic woodwind sequence reflects the losing frog’s struggle, as it slips from the reed.

In the final scene, the victor has found a mate. The music at this point is lyrical, yet delicate, and the texture grows and shrinks to avoid overpowering the visuals. The harp is used to gently add rhythmic interest to the slow string chords, and the piece ends with a gradual fade to silence.

Back to works...