COLLEGE HALL & MUSIC SCHOOL WALKWAY

By Katie Tonkinson

Would you ever listen to a bird in a concert hall?

Whether you realize it or not, plenty of birds surround us at all times on our campus, treating us to their musical calls. Some people would even consider these animal sounds to be defined as music and choose to record their natural performances as they would with any other musicians. Bird calls are frequently mimicked in musical compositions, often evoking natural imagery, but can birds, themselves, be considered musicians?

If you have never pondered the question of animal musicianship, take a moment to listen to your surroundings. Close your eyes, and direct your attention to the birds by listening for their calls. Don’t rely on your eyes to find them, but instead, use your ears and try to locate them through sound alone.

Now that you’ve located them, listen for the different types of sounds the birds are making and try to put those sounds into words. Do they sound loud or quiet? Fast or slow? Short, choppy, and fragmented or long, elegant, and song-like? In music, we notate these descriptors through a variety of terms that guide the player into crafting a particular sound. The arrangement of these sounds in a musical performance can tell a story, share a message, or elicit an emotional reaction from the listener. With this in mind, a musical interpretation of the bird calls around us could provide more context to answer the question of whether or not we can consider birds to be musicians.

College Hall & Music School Walkway (Katie): Text

American Robin

Like the cheerful refrain of an upbeat, catchy pop song, the call of the American Robin can be musically characterized as the repetition of a motif, or a short musical idea. Although its call varies in pitch, the American Robin repeats the same motif each time, singing one note 6-10 times in short succession. Once started, the call remains the same in terms of dynamics and tempo.

College Hall & Music School Walkway (Katie): Video

Field Sparrow

Perhaps analogous to the sweet-yet-strong tone of the piccolo soaring over the sound of a full orchestra, the Field Sparrow (referred to as a “Sputzie” in Pittsburgh) is known for its high-pitched voice. Starting with the repetition of short, detached notes, this call dramatically grows in intensity through a crescendo and accelerando, becoming louder in volume and faster in speed, before reaching a peak on a loud trill. In music, trills are viewed as ornaments that call attention to a particular moment, giving the performer an opportunity to boast their virtuosic flair and cuing the listener that this musical idea is important. Perhaps the Field Sparrow’s high-pitched, loud trill calls attention to its own musicality.

College Hall & Music School Walkway (Katie): Video

House Wren

Compared to the previous birds, the call of the House Wren can be the most challenging to distinguish. Unlike the American Robin and Field Sparrow whose calls feature notes with clear beginnings and endings, the House Wren’s call is often described as an indistinguishable jumble of sounds, lacking clarity of articulation. Additionally, these calls lack rhythmic clarity with no repeated pattern, as seen with the American Robin. The House Wren’s call may also sound abrupt and harsh to the ear, more similar to a percussive instrument.

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Do you think birds can be considered musicians?

Yes?
No?
Something else?

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Further Discussion

Now that you’ve identified the different birds around you, take a few moments to reconsider the question of animal musicianship. Many people believe that birds are musicians and record their natural songs, rather than notate and reference them through music. Take the example of the 1954 album The Mockingbird Sings. Ornithologists Arthur Allen, Albert Brand, and Peter Kellogg recorded two Northern Mockingbirds as if they were concert soloists, and the album features fifteen minutes of the birds’ uninterrupted songs. By elevating these birds to the same level as other recording artists and using no additional accompaniment or editing, Allen, Brand, and Kellogg appear to be making a clear statement that animals are, in fact, musicians and their calls deserve to be listened to with the same respect as any other type of music.

Another aspect that may provide further evidence for Mockingbirds being considered musicians is their unique ability of mimicry. Instead of repeating their own individual sounds, Mockingbirds are able to copy the sounds of other calls or songs that they hear, which is why they are said to “mock.” This ability to recognize other sounds in the wild and adjust their calls appears to demonstrate a higher level of musicianship. In fact, this call-and-response style of mimicry can be found in many different musical styles in every culture, ranging from pop music to jazz to folk music. With these examples, mimicry seems to emerge as a distinctly-musical technique.

Finally, take a moment to consider how you define music in general. Music can be described as sound that is created with intention, but do you think sound that is created accidentally or biologically can be musical too? Birds seem to make their sounds through a biological imperative, but other research suggests that they may also sing for fun. The context of intention perhaps complicates the issue of animal musicianship if you believe that music is only sound that is intentionally created. Sounds created as a result of a biological reaction appear to lack conscious intention, so maybe these types of bird calls do not fit the definition of music, whereas calls created for fun do align with this particular definition of music.

Ultimately, there is no ‘correct’ answer to these questions, and you are welcome to consider many other approaches to the topic, connecting music and animal calls in a variety of ways.

I hope this SoundSite gave you a moment of peace and reflection, bringing to your attention members of our Duquesne community that are often overlooked. Now, when you walk through campus, feel free to listen for the songs of our winged friends.

College Hall & Music School Walkway (Katie): Text