A TikTok violinist duetted with his howling dog, and created this melancholic masterpiece
11 August 2021, 14:00 | Updated: 25 October 2022, 17:25
A violinist, a lyric soprano doggo, and an unexpectedly sombre piece of music.
Nikolas the Border Collie has been doing the rounds on social media, thanks to his wonderfully lyrical, operatic howls.
As the pooch’s wistful warbling echoed across the Internet, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra saw the potential for a duet.
Cue their co-concert master, Nathan Olsen, and his violin.
Using the TikTok ‘duet’ feature, Olsen accompanied the four-legged vocalist’s haunting howls with a melancholic violin solo to match.
And so, the ‘doggo’s lament’ was born.
Read more: Operatic dog duets perfectly with Luciano Pavarotti on ‘Nessun dorma’
It’s only a short performance, but it’s one loaded with sorrow and turmoil, so much of which hangs on that woeful semitone drop.
What the sweet doggo must have gone through to bring forth such grief, will remain a mystery.
Perhaps Nikolas was howling about a lost bone, or remembering the heartbreak of losing his favourite tennis ball while on a walk.
Read more: A composer is setting portraits of cats and dogs to music, and they are just beautiful
As the duet comes to an end, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra adds the on-screen caption: “What instruments are missing from this ensemble?”
Other musicians have answered the question, through a variety of collaborations with the operatic hound.
Musician and TikTok user Amosdoll Music provided a livelier soundtrack to the dog’s howls on his piano.
And producer and composer Raziel added some powerful orchestration to the canine’s crooning, which he shared on TikTok with the caption, “Dog Sonata F# Minor”.
But the true star of the show, of course, is Nikolas the Border Collie, whose talents have inspired musicians across the globe to join in.
Nikolas’ owner, Julia, only shared the original TikTok three days ago, but already it has had almost 750,000 likes.
“Born to be opera singer,” she captioned the clip.
Man’s best friend? More like musician’s best friend.
