RANDOM REFLECTIONS: Savage Music
“Although humans and animals are biologically different, the common thread of sound is one shared experience between us.”
– S. Dhungana, Nepalese Veterinary Journal, 2018.
How often have we heard or repeated that, “Music hath charms that soothe the savage beast?” The original statement by English playwright William Congreve in “The Mourning Bride” (1697), however, was, “Music has charms that soothe the savage breast.”
As one commentator said of the misquote, “[I]t doesn’t even make sense — if you’re being attacked by a wild tiger, whistling show tunes won’t help in the slightest.”
I speculate that one explanation for this alteration is our contemporary discomfort with the word “breast.” But I prefer to believe that the revision is grounded in personal experiences verifying that animals do respond positively to music.
Research finds that playing soothing music in milking barns — Beethoven, Simon & Garfunkel or cool jazz — seems to calm the cows while drowning out machinery noise; one study found cows produced 3% more milk.
Eureka! A real-world example of music soothing the savage beast. We may not think of cows as savage, but cowboy Westerns frequently rely on the cattle stampede to provide excitement and drama. And in real life, worldwide, stampeding cows are often responsible for trampling to death anything in their path.
Furthermore, research indicates that dogs relax and sleep more when listening to classical music, but may become anxious or agitated when exposed to heavy metal. Sea lions can synchronize head movements to different rhythms, and YouTube displays parrots seeming to dance to the beat of catchy tunes. Typical of cat behavior, felines mostly ignore our music, but do respond to “music” created especially for them with frequencies that mimic purring, according to S. Dhungana et al. in their journal article, “Effect of music on animal behavior: a review.”
Even keeping that in mind, don’t depend on rock and roll to stop that wild tiger attack.
For me, the connection between animals and music are the roles they play in my daily life. Happy memories can be triggered by songs from 65 years ago, and I have long benefited from the therapeutic effects of furry companions. So, when I’m feeling particularly cranky or anxious, I retrieve my phone, set up my playlist of oldies but goodies, grab the leash and Mozzie, my blue heeler mix, and we march to my version of the quote: “Music and animals have charms that soothe my savage breast.”
Susan Bennett of Freshwater, an author, animal lover and emeritus English professor, is a survivor of Woodstock in 1969 and will gladly share this musical experience at some date.
Email: sgbennett70@gmail.com.
