Blowin' in birdland: Improvisation and the Australian pied butcherbird

Taylor, H

Blowin' in birdland: Improvisation and the Australian pied butcherbird

Taylor, H

Permalink

Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Leonardo Music Journal, 2010, 20 pp. 79 - 83
Issue Date:: 2010-12-01

Closed Access

	Filename	Description	Size
	2011005970OK.pdf		579.78 kB	Adobe PDF	View/Open

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Closed Access

This item is closed access and not available.

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Taylor, H	en_US
dc.date.issued	2010-12-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Leonardo Music Journal, 2010, 20 pp. 79 - 83	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0961-1215	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/22740
dc.description.abstract	This paper challenges the assumption that improvisation is a process unique to humans. Despite the general reluctance of biologists to consider birdsong "music," they routinely comment on improvisation found in the signals of songbirds. The Australian pied butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis) is such a species. Analysis (including transcriptions and sonograms) of solo song, duets and mimicry illustrates their remarkable preoccupation with novelty and variety, and traces improvisation's role in the creation of their complex song culture. The author suggests further zoömusicological case studies for the relevance this research could have to other human (musical) capacities. ©2010 ISAST.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Leonardo Music Journal	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1162/LMJ_a_00016	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Music	en_US
dc.title	Blowin' in birdland: Improvisation and the Australian pied butcherbird	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	20	en_US
utslib.for	1904 Performing Arts and Creative Writing	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/Cultural Studies Program
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	20	en_US

Abstract:

This paper challenges the assumption that improvisation is a process unique to humans. Despite the general reluctance of biologists to consider birdsong "music," they routinely comment on improvisation found in the signals of songbirds. The Australian pied butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis) is such a species. Analysis (including transcriptions and sonograms) of solo song, duets and mimicry illustrates their remarkable preoccupation with novelty and variety, and traces improvisation's role in the creation of their complex song culture. The author suggests further zoömusicological case studies for the relevance this research could have to other human (musical) capacities. ©2010 ISAST.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/22740