Byzantine Birds is a stop-motion animé dedicated to the Christmas season, and inspired by our Byzantine heritage, which is rooted in the Middle East. The birds sing Byzantine notes and the fish are the orchestra.
The setting is the castle - fort that rests on the small peninsula of Panagia (The Virgin Mary) in Kavala, which was built during the Ottoman Era (15th C.) by Mehmet Ali. All the patterns are taken from Byzantine art that I found on the archeological site of Phillipi and the Byzantine Museum of Thessaloniki.
The Gregorian chants, in the background are dedicated to Saint Nicolas, and are also from the 15th century. The Byzantine notes that the birds “chirp”, originate from the Byzantine Empire, and is the musical script that Orthodoxy follows.
The voices singing the Byzantine notes are my nephew and niece’s.
Below are the titles of the central piece for my anime, Byzantine Birds, as well as for the other two pieces:
Music from The Night of Saint Nicholas. A Mediaeval Liturgy for Advent by La Reverdie & I Cantori Gregoriani
Listed in chronological order:
Ex Eius Tumba
Qui cum audissent - Clara quippe voce
Auro virginum incestus - Psalmus IV
