20 Years Celebrating the Creatures and Cultures of the Earth Voices Of The Sea Humpback whales have been on the earth for millions of years, and for most of that time they have probably been singing. Extraordinary vocalists and inventive melodists, humpback whales sing long, elaborate song cycles ranging over many octaves, and some songs even include rhythmic endings on some of their phrases.
Humpbacks appear to inherit a set of rules for creating their songs, within which they impovise.
All whales in a herd sing the same song, but they change it slightly until by the next year a new song emerges. Paul Winter first came into contact with the songs of whales in 1967. They opened his ears to the whole symphony of nature. Since then, whales and other sea mammals have become regular guest artists on his albums. The whales' artists' royalties are donated to Wildlife Conservation International and the Whale Conservation Institute.