Search - Matthew Doyle, Michael Atherton :: Lyrebird

The Australian lyrebird is unique. Though shy and elusive, this magnificent creature who mimics the cries of other songbirds, has been depicted in rock engravings and drawings by indigenous artists for thousands of years.Inspired by the mimicry of the rare Australian songbird, musician and dancer Matthew Doyle sings the lyrebird in the only known recording of a song in the Tharawal language. He mimics the bird's own call using both voice and didjeridu to celebrate the survival and renewal of the lyrebird.The album opens with New Beginning with the didjeridu exploring the theme of creation, followed by Mouth Music, in which Matthew vocalizes as if he were performing a traditional dance. Mimicry, a feature of the lyrebird's sublimity is continued in Tongue Talk.In the song Wiridjirbin: The First Lyrebird, Matthew sings the lyrebird in the only known recording of a song in the Tharawal language. It represents a significant moment in both the cultural and linguistic history of New South Wales. Composed by Matthew, he mimics the bird's own call using both voice and didjeridu to celebrate the survival and renewal of the lyrebird. This song is a reconstruction of fragments of a language, no longer spoken, and describes how the first lyrebird was created.Cave Drawings refers to drawings of lyrebirds close to Sydney. Didjeri-duo begins with an excerpt of a recording made on a misty, damp morning in rainforest country in the Blue Mountains (100 kms west of Sydney), an ideal time and place to hear the lyrebird. The accompanying didjeridu, played by Michael Atherton, was made by Matthew.Courtship Dance is about the mating ritual and the rhythm of renewal. In Song Bird, Matthew mimics a lyrebird mimicking other birds. In the last track Mungari (which means singing) Matthew renders a technically virtuosic display of lyrebird, cockatoo, brolga, kookaburra, boobook and emu calls.This recording is dedicated to the memory of Aboriginal artists Malcolm Smith, and Philip Lanley who was one of Matthew's teachers.