Nora the Piano Cat (September 10, 2004[1] – February 5, 2024) was a gray tabby cat, rescued from the streets of Camden, New Jersey, by the Furrever Friends animal shelter. Nora gained international prominence after a YouTube video of her playing the piano went viral in 2007. The Times of London, in its online edition, characterized her music as being "something halfway between Philip Glass and free jazz".[2]
 Nora at the piano | |
| Other name(s) | Nora the Piano Cat |
|---|---|
| Species | Felis catus |
| Sex | Female |
| Born | September 10, 2004 |
| Died | February 5, 2024 (aged 19) |
| Years active | 2007–2024 |
| Known for | Playing the piano |
| Owner | Burnell Yow and Betsy Alexander |
The National Science Foundation has included Nora in a video about animal behavior which was shown in museums in the fall of 2007. Pianist Magazine, based in London, featured her in an article.[3]
On February 5, 2024, Betsy Alexander, one of her owners, announced Nora's death on her Facebook page: "She passed peacefully at home on her favorite blanket and surrounded by us".[4]
CATcerto
editIn 2009, recorded footage of Nora was included in CATcerto, a piece by Lithuanian composer Mindaugas Piečaitis.[5] The first performance of the piece, by Piečaitis and the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra, was widely broadcast on the Internet.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Nora The Piano Cat - Turns 16 Years Old, 11 September 2020, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2021-06-20
- ^ Whitwell, Tom (March 3, 2007). "Microtrends: Piano-Playing Cats". The Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2007. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
- ^ Brown, John Robert (Aug–Sep 2008). "Why I Love YouTube". Pianist (63).. Mentioned in: "Pianist Magazine Aug/Sept Issue, Page 63..." (blog). NoraThePianoCat.com. August 21, 2008. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
- ^ "Nora the Piano Cat". Facebook. Archived from the original on 2024-02-09. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
- ^ "Kūrinys katei tapo rimtu gyvenimo pokštu" (in Lithuanian). 2009-06-20. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
- ^ "Nora wins fame for her piano-playing talent". Miami Herald. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2010-07-12. [dead link]
Further reading
edit- Mapes, Jen (January 5, 2001). "Do Animals Have an Innate Sense of Music?". National Geographic. Archived from the original on April 14, 2001. Retrieved 2012-07-22.