These birds have a strong opinion about classical music
Maja Mielke
Java sparrows prefer music by Bach or Vivaldi over compositions by Schoenberg or Carter.
When I enter the animal facility of my research group, I usually wear ear protection. Trust me, you’d better do so in a room full of songbirds in courtship mode—the noise level of dozens of fluffballs singing their hearts out can be overwhelming. Still, the song of individual songbirds can be music to my ears. But the big question is: Is our music, composed and played by humans, also music to the songbirds?
In a simple but clever experiment1, researchers from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, tested the musical preferences of Java sparrows. They discovered that some of these birds have a strong opinion about music genres, showing a clear preference for classical music!
Java sparrow (Padda oryzivora). Image by Arduinna from Pixabay.
For the experiments, the researchers placed individual birds in a cage with three perches. The perches on the left and right were installed so that the bird sitting on these perches triggered music to play from an audio device. One perch played a classic piece of music, while the other played a modern piece. The middle perch was the ‘silent’ perch; it didn’t trigger any music.
During the experiments, the scientists measured how much time each bird spent on each of the three perches. The more time it spent on a particular perch, the stronger its preferences for the associated type of music. To account for side preferences, the ‘classical’ and ‘modern’ sides were switched between the four trials of each experiment.
Note: all pieces of music used in these experiments are linked below, in case you want to listen.
In a first trial, the researchers tested for preferences between music composed by Bach (French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816) or Schoenberg (Suite for Piano, Op. 25). Two out of four tested individuals showed a clear preference for Bach over Schoenberg—spending significantly more time on the Bach perch than on the silent or Schoenberg perch.
To test whether this musical preference was consistent, they next tested the two Bach fans with different pieces by the same composers. This time, they played either the Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068, by Bach or Five Orchestral Pieces, Op. 16, by Schoenberg. The Java sparrows showed the same pattern, spending significantly more time on the Bach perch than on any other perch.
In a third experiment, the researchers tested the same birds’ preferences on similar music styles, but this time with different composers. They let the birds choose between Vivaldi (Violin Concerto in A minor, RV356, Op. 3 No. 6) and Carter (Variations for Orchestra). And again, both birds showed a clear preference for the classical music (represented by Vivaldi) over modern music (represented by Carter).
But not only did these two individuals show a preference for Bach and Vivaldi. They even showed an aversion, in most cases, to Schoenberg and Carter, spending more time on the silent perch than on a perch of these two modern composers.
To conclude: Yes, our compositions can be music in the ears of songbirds—if they match the musical taste of the birds! I find it impressive how strong their opinion seems to be. Not only did they prefer Bach/Vivaldi over Schoenberg/Carter, they even preferred Bach/Vivaldi over silence!
Isn’t it fascinating that these Java sparrows and I seem to share a love for classical music, even though we are, in terms of evolutionary history, well over 300 million years apart?
Now, you can test your own musical preferences. Below, I link to all the pieces used in this study. Which one do you prefer?
Bach (French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816)
Schoenberg (Suite for Piano, Op. 25)
Bach (Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068)
Schoenberg (Five Orchestral Pieces, Op. 16)
Vivaldi (Violin Concerto in A minor, RV356, Op. 3 No. 6)
Carter (Variations for Orchestra)
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