There's also a new group, begun by Dr. Patricia Gray, called BioMusic
http://www.biomusic.org/ It covers all these issues and is actively
persuing studies and enquiry into the subject. I believe that they
will be soon affiliated with the University of North Carolina
(Greensboro) and Dr. Don Hodges, Head of the Music Department.
Bernie
>There are not many examples of wild birds in nature mimicking human music.
>Our archive has an example of a wild Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula) that
>rendered a perfect arpeggio, but without proof as to whether it was mimicry
>or coincidence.
>
>But cagebirds have been tutored by humans to produce music. The best
>examples I know of were German folk-song singing Bullfinches (Pyrrhula
>pyrrhula) studied and recorded by Jurgen Nicolai:
>Nicolai, J. (1959). "Familientradition in der Gesangcentwicklung des
>Grimpels (Pyrrhula pyrrhula L.)." J Ornithol 100: 39-46.
>Nicolai, J. (1991). "Folksong singing Bullfinches." unpublished: 7.
>
>Copies of the recordings are in our archive and are truly astonishing. The
>birds accurately reproduced full folk songs and if interrupted, would
>continue the song from the start of the full phrase, as if they shared the
>human sense of musical 'melody'. You will be able to hear and read about
>these in the forthcoming book and CD 'Nature's Music' edited by Hans
>Slabbekoorn and Peter Marler (pub. Academic Press). I don't have a
>publication date but it's in press right now.
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>-------------------
>Richard Ranft
>Curator, Wildlife Section,
>The British Library Sound Archive,
>96 Euston Road,
>London NWI 2DB, UK.
>email:
>voice: +44 (0)20-7412-7402/3
>fax: +44 (0)20-7412-7441
>WWW pages with fully-searchable on-line catalogue at:
>http://www.bl.uk/soundarchive
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>--------------------
>
>
>
>>
>> Syd Curtis wrote:
>>
>> >A non-recordist friend recently asked me in a letter whether
>> birds ever
>> >imitated human music and whether composers ever copied
>> bird-song. The
>> >latter I can answer at length, (having corresponded with
>> Olivier Messiaen
>> >when h ewas alive), but not the first.
>> >
>> >There is a story of a lyrebird chick raised in captivity and
>> learning to
>> >sing by copying flute music. He was later released and his
>> "flute" songs
>> >were taken up by that lyrebird population. That's the
>> story. It's been
>> >disputed. I think it probably did happen.
>> >
>> >But somewhere in the distant past, I'm sure I read of
>> something similar
>> >happening in Europe. A Blackbird, maybe. And I think it
>> was documented in
>> >some scientific journal. Can anyone help me please, with a
>> reference?
>> >
>> >TIA
>> >
>> >Syd Curtis in Australia
>
>
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