Turkeys may have missed a chance to make their mark on history when the bald eagle beat them out for the honor of being our country’s national bird, but they’ve stilled earned a place of honor in our culture. And not always as an entrée.
Here are a few musical works that feature these not-quite-majestic birds. Read on to learn how composers from Chabrier to Sandler have incorporated the terrific turkey into their music.
In our first selection, “Ballade des Gros Dindons” (“Ballad of the Fat Turkeys”) written by Emmanuel Chabrier in 1890, the turkeys don’t represent birds at all. Instead, they’re used to paint a rather unflattering picture of the middle class: “They plod like pompous auctioneers attired in dumb ostentation … The fattest bourgeois in creation, they couldn’t ever give a stuff for romance or imagination.” Ouch.
Leonard Bernstein’s “Turkey Trot” from Divertimento for Orchestra (1980) brings a little more excitement to our avian friends’ image. The upbeat tempo was inspired by the Turkey Trot dance step from the 1910s. The popular dance, one of the notorious “animal dances,” was considered so scandalous that it was banned in a number of dance halls and even denounced by the Vatican. The hubbub only enhanced the step’s popularity, of course.
Lest the mighty turkey be left out of the jazz genre, let’s consider Thelonius Monk’s “Stuffy Turkey,” written in 1964. It’s one of few turkey-themed jazz songs, and you can almost see the big birds strutting along as you hear the bouncing rhythm of the piece.
It’s not just classical composers who have been inspired by turkeys. Alternative band Lemon Demon, founded by comedian and musician Neil Cicierega in 2003, has a 26-second track called, simply, “Turkeys.” The oddly whimsical lyrics include “Who likes turkeys? I like turkeys!” Short, sweet, and to the point. For something closer to mainstream, check out Bob Dylan’s instrumental track called “Turkey Chase.”
Whether you see them as comical, noble, or simply delicious, turkeys have certainly established their place in our country’s consciousness!