"Animal" by Barry Forgie, part of the "Energy Suite"

2: “Animal”: The scene opens in the jungle with all kinds of animals calling to one another! The cacophony subsides to reveal a soft lilting tune that alternates 5/8 and 3/4 time - because Barry wanted to create a tune to the words “hippo-pot-amus wal-lk-ing”! The trumpets use bucket mutes to create a soft and subdued sound. A contrapuntal section follows with all the animal noises in the crowd reflecting that all animals are generically linked and the answering phrases depict that linkage.

The charm of the tune is the contrast between time signatures, never going into a stable pattern, in contrast to all the other movements. All animals move in different ways and this
movement reflects that. The piece ends in 7/8, a favourite of Forgie’s who has written many pieces in this time signature including a unique arrangement of “Fascinating Rhythm” by
George Gershwin for Lee Gibson – she was the only person who could ever sing it!