July 18th is World Listening Day, an initiative of the World Listening Project set aside to make us more conscious of the sounds of nature and the environment around us. This year’s theme is ‘Listening to the Weave of Time’. Have a listen at the video below

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Give a Listen to the Sounds of Nature and the World Around Us

Sweet Memories

When I think about listening to the sounds of nature, some of the sweetest memories that come to me are to do with my children. One such memory is of my son learning and singing this song!

And a couple of others that my kids loved were Raffi’s ‘Down by the Bay’ and ‘Robin in the Rain.’ While these songs do not mention any sounds directly, they reference nature and animals which is bound to make us pay attention.

The Songs are Alive With the Sounds of Nature

Whether it is Julie Andrews singing ‘The Hills are Alive’ in The Sound of Music or India’s Nightingale Lata Mangeshkar crooning ‘Kuhu Kuhu Bole Koyaliya’ (translates to the cuckoo making its sweet ‘kuhu kuhu’ call in the woods) for Saroja Devi onscreen in the movie Suvarna Sundari, film songs everywhere have always depicted the sounds of nature.

Since I am talking about songs with the sounds of nature, have you listened to the ‘Rhythm of the Falling Rain’ or this melodious Bollywood classic – ‘Rimjhim Gire Sawan’?

Some More Bird Songs

In addition to birds being part of the lyrics, they have inspired a myriad musical compositions. Famous examples include Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony,” which includes the imitation of bird calls in the second movement, as well as Olivier Messiaen’s “Catalogue d’oiseaux,” a piano piece entirely based on bird songs. Have you heard these pieces before? I heard them on public radio and also thanks to my son’s piano teacher!

From Dawn to Dusk

On those days when I wake up early enough and step outside, I hear that euphonious dawn chorus of birds! Different bird species might join in at different times, resulting in a whole performance for those who want to listen. While this phenomenon is prominent and louder in spring, you can hear dawn choruses through summer and fall as well. Check out this guide to all about the dawn chorus.

While dawn has the birds performing for you, dusk incites the insects, and you can spend summer evenings listening to evening concerts, courtesy – insects! Many insects produce sounds by rubbing parts of their bodies together, a process called stridulation. This includes crickets, grasshoppers, and katydids, as well as cicadas (though many cicadas are daytimers).

And of course, you can hear other animal sounds too at various times of the day, depending on where you live, from buzzing bees and the hum of the hummingbirds to frogs ribbiting and more.

Nature is Musical

”The earth has music for those who listen”. W. Shakespeare

Have you ever the trees sing, or the chorus of the rainforest? What about the babbling brooks or booming sands?

I love that the brook babbles! This sound is not just water moving over rocks, but also air bubbles forming and popping, which contributes to the sound we hear.

As for sand dunes, when the wind blows across them, it can create eerie, haunting sounds known as “singing” or “booming” sands.

I have attempted to hear myself, or rather my echo, whenever I found myself in the right place, like those mountains and canyons with the perfect acoustic properties to create stunning echoes. Did you ever listen to your echo?

And so often, the wind blows through trees or grass creating the sound effect of wind instruments like flutes or organs.

Making Music With Nature

As a related aside, I am loving these cool aeolian harps, which are played by the wind, and create ethereal music that changes with the breeze. This one below is somewhere on the Irish coast

Then we have wind chimes (I have two sets that someone gifted me recently and I need to hang them up in my backyard) and we have sonic artists like Mileece who makes music with plants. Have a listen here or artists who make music with nature sounds.

And of course, we can make music with found objects from nature, or use nature to make musical instruments to make music!

Listen! These Sounds of Nature have Names Too!

The term “biophony” refers to the collective sound that organisms produce in a given habitat. Every environment has its own unique biophony, be it the chorus of the tropical rainforests or the underwater symphony of whale and dolphin songs and the clicking of shrimp.

Similarly, the term “geophony” refers to the non-biological sounds of the natural environment, such as wind in the trees, rain, thunder, and the movement of the earth itself.

Did You Know?

Birds of the same species can have different “dialects” depending on their geographical location, and these variations are often passed down through generations, much like human language!

Crickets chirp faster in warm temperatures and slower in cooler ones. By counting the number of chirps in a specific time frame, you can estimate the temperature using Dolbear’s Law.

Cicadas produce some of the loudest sounds in the insect world. Have you ever heard them? I have, and I can vouch that they are certainly loud!

Elephants use infrasound to communicate over long distances. These low-frequency sounds can travel through the ground and be detected by other elephants miles away.

Health Benefits of the Sounds of Nature

Listening to the sounds of nature, such as birds chirping, leaves rustling, and water flowing, can significantly reduce stress levels and promote relaxation. It’s a natural form of sound therapy, which is why it’s often used in meditation and wellness practices.

Nature sounds are often used in sleep aids because they create a calming environment that promotes better sleep. The gentle, rhythmic sounds of waves or rain can lull you into a deep, restful sleep. Consider using a nature sounds playlist as part of your bedtime routine.

I love the concept of the Japanese practice of “forest bathing” (Shinrin-yoku), where the idea is to immerse ourselves in the sights and sounds of the natural environment, the woods. Other cultures have similar concepts as well, like Norway’s Friluftsliv.

How Sounds Unite Us All

Other aspects of life connect cultures around the world, including music. A 2018 Harvard study shows that there is truth in the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow quote, “Music is the universal language of mankind.”

Here is an excerpt of the above linked article: “They found that, across societies, music is associated with behaviors such as infant care, healing, dance, and love (among many others, like mourning, warfare, processions, and ritual). Examining lullabies, healing songs, dance songs, and love songs in particular, they discovered that songs that share behavioral functions tend to have similar musical features.”

Soundscapes

What is a soundscape? Per the Wikipedia definition, “A soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from a surrounding environment.” Every soundscape includes three elements – the biophony and geophony mentioned earlier plus anthrophony (human-generated sounds).

Today, many architects and planners are working to include acoustic ecology as part of their building plans to enhance the soundscapes we live and work in.

Favorite Sounds to Listen To

What about your soundscape? Take a moment and listen to the sounds around you. For me, it is the sound of three fans running to combat the heat (even though it is late at night and I am up staying to finish this post) and in the background, the constant chirping of crickets outside, and the sound of a door closing as my daughter shuts the bathroom door (again, for the nth time!)

I wonder now, what would my ideal soundscape be? Would it include some soothing nature sounds, some favorite melodic music playing softly in the background, along with the muted chatter of my kids talking in the other room?

What about you? What would your ideal soundscape be? Would they include a combination of anthrophonic, biophonic, and geophonic sounds? Or just one of them? What are your favorite sounds to listen to? In nature and elsewhere? Maybe it is the babble of the brooks, or rustling trees, or the giggle of your little ones, or anything else.

Related Reads and More that You Can Listen To!

Check out this previous post with quotes about listening and how to listen.

I loved this video about music based on how birds were sitting on wires!

And Now, the End of This Post of Quotes on Simplicity

Dear reader, what did you like most about this post? Your favorite point or a thought that came to you because of this?