Description
Written for the 2023 Australian Inclusive Composition Award
** SPECIAL MENTION - DIVISION 3 **
Duration 3:00min
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The Monotremes, which include only the platypus and four species of echidna, all endemic to Australia, are egg- laying mammals. Their eggs are kept inside the body for much longer than those of birds or reptiles, and the puggles (hatchlings) lap milk from pores in the mother’s skin. These strange animals probably evolved from reptiles before other mammals.
The rare and elusive Platypus is strangely designed, having a bill like a duck, a tail like a beaver, webbed feet and a venomous spur on the hind leg of the male. It is an agile swimmer, feeding on the bottom of streams with eyes, ears and nose tightly closed, instead using its bill to locate small prey from the tiny electrical signals they emit. - Fran Griffin
Instrumentation: Piccolo, Flute 1 2, Oboe, Bassoon, Contrabassoon, Eb Clarinet, Bb Clarinet 1 2 3, Bass Clarinet, Alto Sax 1 2, Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax, Horn in F 1 2 3 4, Bb Trumpet 1 2 3, Trombone 1 2, Bass Trombone, Euphonium BC & TC, Tuba, Timpani, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Suspended Cymbal, Tam-tam, Crash Cymbals, Triangle, Tambourine, Rain Stick