Endorsed by violinist Tasmin Little, 'Larks Ascending' will a new public archive of skylark recordings - and will examine how location, weather and season ca many subtle variations To circular off its celebration of the one hundred-fiftieth anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams, the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society has announced an intriguing new project. The Society has joined forces with the Wildlife Sound Recording Society (WSRS) and the British Library's Wildlife and Environmental Sounds collection to collect examples of the song of the skylark – the bird whose exuberant, melodious singing inspired the composer's much-loved piece The Lark Ascending.

The project, named Larks Ascending, will a new archive of skylark recordings at the British Library. These will be available to researchers, musicians and the public. 'I am delighted to be associated with the Larks Ascending project, which will be an invaluable resource to capture the beauty, variety and subtlety of this bird song,' said Tasmin. 'As someone who's experienced the joy of performing Vaughan Williams’ well-known piece, The Lark Ascending, and its deep effects upon audiences, I hope that this brand new archive will be a way to inspire the creation of new compositions to complement the existing repertoire.'

Larks Ascending aims to reflect in detail the wealthy variety in skylark songs, despite their obvious overall similarity. The project will examine how each individual song might relate to factors such as location, weather and time of year. It's hoped that composers will be inspired by the Larks Ascending archive to chase Vaughan Williams's example and write music which showcases this iconic bird — using these new recordings in a variety of creative ways. The project also aims to lift awareness of the dramatic decline in skylark numbers. It's estimated that UK skylark numbers have ped by around seventy percent over the past fifty years, largely beca of modern farming practices.

'The project's focus on this much-loved bird and its ever-exuberant song will hopefully broaden appreciation of how genuine are the continuing threats to bird and animal life in the British countryside,' explains Andrew Green of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society. The project also aims to lift awareness of the dramatic decline in skylark numbers. It's estimated that UK skylark numbers have ped by around seventy percent over the past fifty years, largely beca of modern farming practices. 'The project's focus on this much-loved bird and its ever-exuberant song will hopefully broaden appreciation of how genuine are the continuing threats to bird and animal life in the British countryside,' explains Andrew Green of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society.