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Thread: Hollis Taylor-Absolute Bird.Recordings of music based on transcriptions of birdcall.

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    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    Hollis Taylor-Absolute Bird.Recordings of music based on transcriptions of birdcall.

    Hollis Taylor is an Australian violinist,composer and zoomusicologist.For the past fifteen years Taylor has roamed Australia, recording the sounds of one particular bird species, the pied butcherbird(Cracticus nigrogularis).This bird to noted for the variety and lyrical beauty of its birdsong,and Taylor was inspired to transcribe hours of her field recordings of this bird and to have musicians play and record re-soundings of these transcriptions.The solo instruments heard on this recording are violin,vibraphone,recorders,flute,choir,bassoon, double bass, string quartet.

    These are wonderful performances by the human musicians.Many of the recordings include field recordings of the pied butcherbirds, as well as, in some cases, other birds, cane toads and various other sounds caught by the microphones in the field.

    There is something compelling in these tracks.The beauty and structural ingenuity of the melodies unfold through the skill of the musicians re-sounding these transcriptions.As the players attempt to mimic the melodies of the birds on their instruments, there's a sort of..transformation of the material-it enters the human realm.

    I post short excerpts from the album.I wish there were more/longer clips to post.

    https://soundcloud.com/realtime-arts...-bird-excerpts
    Last edited by walt; 08-13-2017 at 06:33 AM.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

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    Member chalkpie's Avatar
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    Messiaen rip-off!

    Actually sounds very cool - listening now. Thanks man

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    I have this cd.I think i may have posted about it here.Not sure.

    I think one difference between Hollis Taylor's work with pied butcherbird birdcall and this(Fassett) and other composers use of birdcall as inspiration is,Taylor,to my understanding of her purposes,allows the birds to structure the music.She worked to keep the closest connection between the human instrumental re-compositions of the birdsong to the avian original
    Last edited by walt; 08-12-2017 at 06:04 PM.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Yes, that appears to be the case. There are a FEW composers who have tried to fit human music to animal music rather than vice versa, but only a few (that I know of). Alan Hovhannes "...And God Made Great Whales." Paul Horn "Inside II." Paul Winter "Callings." Resphigi "The Birds." Vaughn Williams "On Hearing the First Cuckoo of Spring."

    And TMK that's about it. Surprising, really.
    Last edited by rcarlberg; 08-12-2017 at 10:31 PM.

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by walt View Post
    I have this cd.
    Sure it's been released on CD?

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    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    Sure it's been released on CD?
    It was re-issued on the Japanese EM label a few years ago.That's who i got it from.Not sure if its still in stock.EM is a great re-issue label.I have several titles from their catalog.

    http://emrecords.ocnk.net/product-list/4
    Last edited by walt; 08-13-2017 at 01:13 AM.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

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    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

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    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/is-...lor/1124658630

    The Barnes and Noble site posts an excerpt from Taylor's book "Is Birdsong Music?".
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

  10. #10
    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
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    This is being released as a double CD + 44 page booklet from ReR in a month or two; we'll have it.
    Steve F.

    www.waysidemusic.com
    www.cuneiformrecords.com

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    “Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin

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  11. #11
    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    It's already out from ReR.That's who i bought mine from.Good to hear Wayside will stock it.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

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