The Butterfly’s Metarmophosis (Metamorphosis) – La Metamorphose du Papillon

This is a Scrap Sound Works version of The Seikilos Epitaph, the oldest surviving complete musical composition on EARTH! Thought to be a song from someone named Seikilos to someone named Euterpe (perhaps his wife), the epitaph has been dated from around 200 BC to around AD 100.

We used footage from La Metamorphose du Papillon, a film from 1904 directed by Segundo de Chomon, with choreography by Loie Fuller. Note that Loie Fuller is not performing in the original work from 1904, yet her choreography was used in the film.

In this Scrap Sound Works music video, we wanted to experimentally explore combining the oldest surviving complete musical composition with a film from the dawn of film making. The butterfly is a creature that changes form just as art forms change within the known universe.