BIRD CRY tracks

The score is a carefully selected list of these described bird calls. Each call on this list was freely interpreted by the musicians involved. Their calls were recorded and assembled by Boyd into the BIRD CRY composition and heard through many small speakers in the work. The sound was mixed to move around 5 separate channels to give listeners a feeling of space.

The Bird selection was made for both musical and thematic reasons. The descriptions needed to work as triggers to challenge and excite the Musicians imaginations and to provide a rich pallet of sound for the composition. Each musician was recorded in isolation with only the score to guide them.

They endeavour to recreate a lost language of the birds. The musicians were carefully selected for their exceptional abilities at working with unusual musical ideas and their ability to create unusual sounds on their instruments. Julian Curwin Guitar, Peter Dasent Piano, Steve Elphick Double Bass, Sam Golding Sousaphone.  Recording and Composition Boyd Producer Tony Gorman Sound Engineer Stephen Morley.

1. Bush stone-curlew Burhinus grallarius

Status: Endangered in NSW Federally secure. 

Voice: ‘eerie high-pitched wail’ ’eerie, a drawn out, mournful- ‘wee-ier, wee-ier, wheee-ieeer, whee-ieer-loo. Each call rises, strengthening, faster, building to a climax, then trails away.’ 

2. Ground Parrot Pezoporus wallicus.

Status: Possibly locally extinct Greater Southern Sydney. Uncommon to rare; endangered in many parts of range by loss of habitat in excessively frequent fires. 

Voice: ‘series of piercing, ringing, resonant whistles, rising in steps, each note flowing on almost unbroken, but abruptly higher than the preceding; or lower notes at a more even pitch. Cheerful budgie-like warbling and sharp, rapid trills.’

3. Regent Honeyeater Xanthomyza phygia

Status: Extremely rare winter visitor/declining Greater Southern Sydney. Greatly reduced in range and numbers; migratory with routine circuit of visits to forests as each comes into flower. Breeding migrant to SE. In flocks, formerly quite large, but now usually small. Scarce and endangered. 

Voice: ‘clear bell-like notes, some quite sharp, others deep, rich, mellow, musical: ‘quip-quorrip, quip-kip, quorrop-quip’; and sharper ‘chlink, chlink’.