Natural sounds

For the record label, see Nature Sounds.

Natural sounds include animal sounds, from the chirruping of crickets to the vocalisations of mammals. They also include the sounds of other natural phenomena, such as water sounds; for example, the sound of rain falling on the ground or on water, the sound of a waterfall, a rushing river, waves lapping or rolling gravel on a shoreline; and wind sounds, such as the murmur of wind rustling the leaves in trees, the howling during a gale and the roar of a whirlwind. Water and wind sounds are often heard in combination in nature. Other natural non-human sounds are thunder, the crack of large pieces of ice shearing from a glacier or iceberg, and the crackle of a forest fire. Such sounds may have contributed to the development of prehistoric music, and have important cultural references nowadays.

Animals

Warning sounds

These are sounds made by animals to warn others, of their species, of impending danger. Similar "warning" sounds are made by those of any unique species when a predator is approaching that species' territory, warning others to seek safety.

Territory sounds

These are sounds, calls, or audible signals made by any one species to its own or any other species, establishing boundaries so like or unlike species will not transgress those boundaries.

Male baboons make sounds heard for miles by other baboons, communicating to those other male baboons, the territory of that male baboon. The strength, volume, and timbre, inherent in that "call", determine whether or not rival males attempt to invade that male baboon's territory.

They do this to make them sound impressive and then to attract the female to them.

Courtship and/or mate attracting sounds

These are sounds made by the male baboon to attract females to his territory for courtship and mating. Again, the strength, quality, and timbre of those sounds, often determine the ability of that species to attract females for reproduction. These mating calls, often low and guttural, are the main criteria, used by the female baboon to determine which male she mates with.

Cultural references

Main article: Imitation of natural sounds in various cultures

The imitation of natural sounds in various cultures is a diverse phenomenon. and can fill in various functions. In several instances, it is related to the belief system, for example, imitation of natural sounds can be linked to various shamanistic beliefs or practice (e.g. yoiks of the Sami,^[1][2][3] some other shamanic songs and rituals,^[4][5][6][7] overtone singing of some cultures). It may serve also such practical goals as luring game in the hunt;^[8] or entertainment (katajjaqs of Inuit).^[8][9]

See also

• Animal communication
• Animal language
• Bioacoustics
• Bird song
• Soundscape
• Whale song

Notes

1. ^ Szomjas-Schiffert 1996: 56, 76
2. ^ Szomjas-Schiffert 1996: 64
3. ^ Szomjas-Schiffert 1996: 74
4. ^ Hoppál 2006: 143
5. ^ Diószegi 1960: 203
6. ^ Hoppál 2005: 92
7. ^ Lintrop
8. ^ ^{a b} Nattiez: 5
9. ^ Deschênes 2002

References

• Deschênes, Bruno (2002). "Inuit Throat-Singing". Musical Traditions. The Magazine for Traditional Music Throughout the World. http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/inuit.htm. 
• Diószegi, Vilmos (1960) (in Hungarian). Sámánok nyomában Szibéria földjén. Egy néprajzi kutatóút története. Budapest: Magvető Könyvkiadó. http://mek.oszk.hu/02100/02181.  The book has been translated to English: Diószegi, Vilmos (1968). Tracing shamans in Siberia. The story of an ethnographical research expedition. Translated from Hungarian by Anita Rajkay Babó. Oosterhout: Anthropological Publications. 
• Hoppál, Mihály (2005) (in Hungarian). Sámánok Eurázsiában. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó. ISBN 963-05-8295-3.  The title means “Shamans in Eurasia”, the book is published also in German, Estonian and Finnish. Site of publisher with short description on the book (in Hungarian).
• Hoppál, Mihály (2006). "Music of Shamanic Healing". In Gerhard Kilger. Macht Musik. Musik als Glück und Nutzen für das Leben. Köln: Wienand Verlag. ISBN 3879098654. http://dasa.baua.de/nn_35984/sid_2C8A99B3F31A58C62BBE3312986DC568/nsc_true/de/Presse/Pressematerialien/Sonderausstellung_20Macht_20Musik/Schamanen-Musik.pdf. 
• Lintrop, Aarno. "The Clean Tent Rite". Studies in Siberian shamanism and religions of the Finno-Ugric peoples. http://haldjas.folklore.ee/~aado/tent.htm. 
• Nattiez, Jean Jacques. Inuit Games and Songs • Chants et Jeux des Inuit. Musiques & musiciens du monde • Musics & musicians of the world. Montreal: Research Group in Musical Semiotics, Faculty of Music, University of Montreal. . The songs are online available from the ethnopoetics website curated by Jerome Rothenberg.
• Somby, Ánde (1995). "Joik and the theory of knowledge". http://www.uit.no/ssweb/dok/Somby/Ande/95.htm. 
• Szomjas-Schiffert, György (1996) (in Hungarian and English). Lapp sámánok énekes hagyománya • Singing tradition of Lapp shamans. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó. ISBN 963 05 6940 X. 

External links

• The British Library Sound Archive has 150,000 recordings of over 10,000 species.
• International Bioacoustics Council links to many bioacoustics resources.
• Listen to Nature 400 examples of animal songs and calls
• Wildlife Sound Recording Society