About this talk

Do animals make music? Are the languages of whales and birds truly songs? To answer this, we must first understand what we mean by music as human animals—and how it might emerge across the animal kingdom. From Messiaen's transcriptions of bird calls to the rhythmic gaits of horses echoing in the blues, we'll hear how animal behaviours form an unwitting orchestra and explore whether music is uniquely human or a shared language with our animal cousins. This lecture opens The Music of Nature series, which explores the intersection of our musical experiences and the vast external cosmos. The lecture examines four main themes: Animals in Music (how are animals represented in music and do animals make musical sounds?), Music in Animals (do animals appreciate human music or create their own?), The Musical Language of Animals (what is the language or music of animals themselves?), and The Music of Life (what music might all living beings share?). Topics covered include birdsong transcription, whale song, animal responses to music, zoomusicology, and interspecies musical collaboration.

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