The fact that it serves the same functions for people and animals, even though their evolutionary paths diverged eons ago, tells researchers that music, defined as a rhythmic pattern of sounds, predates humanity. While only a few animal species seem to make music, the similarities between animal and human composition are striking. Some birds have repertoires of hundreds of songs, employing many of the same rhythms and combinations of notes as modern composers. The canyon wren, for example, uses a 12-tone scale, dividing an octave into 12 semitones, just like a piano. The hermit thrush sings in a five-tone scale common in Asian music.
Many birds join in duets and choruses, comparable to group singing by humans.
Whales, descendants of land-based mammals that diverged 60 million years ago from the line that led to humans, also are accomplished musicians. A humpback whale song typically consists of an opening theme, a section in which the theme is elaborated, then a return to the original theme, slightly modified. E-mail this story to a friend. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution, or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the expressed written consent of the Lexington Herald-Leader is prohibited.