A study of feathered strength and Iridescence ... birdsong for the fragile eggshell mind.
Film Awards:
Winner - Best Music Feature - Mykonos International Film Awards (Greece)
Winner - Arthouse Short Film - Sipontum Arthouse International Film Festival (Italy)
Winner - Best Original Music Score - Cine Paris Film Festival (France)
Semi-finalist - Best First Music Video - Sweden Film Awards (Sweden)
Official selection - Golden Soundtrack - Golden Short Film Festival (Italy)
Official selection - Music Videos - London Lift-Off Film Festival (UK)
Official selection - First-Time Filmmaker Sessions @ Pinewood Studios
Official selection - Music Videos - Garofano Rosso FIlm Festival (Italy)
Official selection - Best First Time Director - Mykonos International Film Awards (Greece)
Special Mention - United Kingdom Music Video Festival
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A collection of compositions and bird symphonies collated between March and December 2020. Constructed around field recordings of individual birdsong and exquisite choruses made from dawn 'til dusk in deepest darkest Devon and inter-laced with thematic melodies and arrangements from the 'One Thousand Birds' album (2019).
The album was recorded at a time of disintegration and derailment where human activity was for the most part suspended leaving a deafening silence, a sacred space filled with intricate birdsong and the exquisite voices of a thousand feathered choristers.
"The philosophy of birds - their Iridescence, endurance, vulnerability and strength and their musical integrity is something to behold. They have much to tell us. This music is dedicated to the birds, the true masters in the art of life (and flying) These are my letters from isolation and this my tribute to the birds.
Their majesty saved me from myself and I owe them much.
May there always be birdsong above the battlefields." G
released March 5, 2021
The Birds (in order of appearance):
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Coal tit (Pariparus ater)
Long tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Gold finch (Carduelis carduelis)
Cockerel (Gallus)
Tawny owl (Strix aluco)
Pigeon (Columbidae)
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
Woodpecker (Picidae)
House Martin (Delichon urbicum)
Raven (Corvus corax)
Magpie (Pica pica)
Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
Starling (Sturnidae)
Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Red Kite (Milvus milvus)
The Musicians:
GRICE - acoustic & electric guitars, keys, piano, percussion,
vocals, programming, sound design, bird mangling
Duncan Chave - sound design, bird warping
Eliza Carew - cello
Al Swainger - bass guitars, pedals, french horn
Fred Ehresmann - piano
Luca Calabrese - trumpet
Field recordings and Filming by GRICE
(various locations in the Shire, UK)
Composed, arranged and produced by GRICE
Mixed by GRICE
'dawn chorale' mixed by Duncan Chave
Mastered by Duncan Chave
Artwork - GRICE
Video trailer (unofficial) by GRICE
Additional sonic Contributions:
Richard Barbieri
Steve Jansen
Raphael Ravenscroft
Hossam Ramzy
Marco Maggiore
Ondrej Pochyly
Jack Lawrence
Additional bird recordings courtesy of:
Duncan Chave
Reference & Bibliography:
Conder, P. (1966) British Garden Birds, Record Books Limited, London in collaboration with The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, London.
Dickinson, E. (1861) Hope is the Thing with Feathers from The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, edited by Thomas H. Johnson, ed., Cambridge
Dubois P. J. & Rouseau E. (2019) A Short Philosophy of Birds, WH Allen, London.
Fitter R. S. R. (1952) The Pocket Guide to British Birds, Collins, London.
Haupt, L. L. (2017) Mozart’s Starlings, Little, Brown and Company, USA.
Lewis-Stempel J. (2017) Where Poppies Blow, Weidenfeld `& Nicolson, London.
Readers Digest (1969) Book of British Birds, Drive Publications Ltd, London.
Schaffer, R. M. (1977) The Soundscape: our sonic environment and the tuning of the world, Knopf, New York.
Xeno-canto: a fabulous resource and website dedicated to sharing bird sounds from all over the world.
www.xeno-canto.org
Special Thanks:
Judi Hawkins - murmuration footage
Dan Wiseman - murmuration footage
Carl Bovis - bird footage
Duncan Chave - bird conversation
Maria Peters - bird research, bibliography and artist support x
Part of this project is supported by Arts Council England (ERF)
© 2021 GRICE
℗ 2021 Hungersleep Records