Music can be defined as
By this definition, insects make music. Some insects, including crickets and cicadas actively make sounds to attract mates. Important components of the sound are the rhythm of the calls and the pitch or melody. Closely related species can have unique combinations of rhythm and melody that allow identification of the species making the sound. We also know that mosquitos can harmonize. One example is a male and female mosquito whose wingbeat frequencies are separated by a perfect fifth to produce an overtone.
Currently, the origin of human music is under debate. Is human music a consequence of evolution? Or is human music primarily a cultural phenomena? Can we look to insects for answers?
Insect sound (music) has a clear and measurable evolutionary component. There are genes that direct the development of sound production and reception organs. There is intense selection for fidelity of song in insects. This suggests that music in humans is likely at least to have a strong genetic component. Certain sounds that humans can hear, such as the buzz of a mosquito, are almost universally irritating. It is quite possible that the irritation helps protect humans against diseases carried by mosquitos by encouraging us to leave mosquito infested areas.
Other sounds elicit other emotions. Darwin suggested that music has a role in mate attraction for humans. The lifestyles of famous singers suggest that Darwin may have a point.
What about a cultural component? Here, insects are not much help. Even though some insects are social, insects are not generally considered to possess culture. There is a clear cultural component to human music. Traditional music from isolated locations contain many differences in spite of a few similarities.
My preference is not to argue for only evolution of music or cultural creation of music. It is more helpful to think about music arising from interactions between culture and evolution. Evolution has endowed us with sound production and sound reception organs. Evolution has endowed us with a brain that interprets some sounds as pleasing and soothing and others as irritating. Culture refines music and takes it beyond the raw endowments from our evolutionary past.
Music can be produced by humans for human enjoyment. However, insect music can be captured and enjoyed by humans as well. The capture of insect music is common in some cultures as exemplified by the cricket markets of China.
Filed under: by jjneal, Environment, Music
