Of Birds, Whales, and Other Musicians

Dario Martinelli’s compact and enjoyable treatise on zoömusicology, Of Birds, Whales and Other Musicians introduces musicologists, biologists, social scientists, and philosophers to a new theoretical model for studying how animal behavioral patterns relate to sound communication. Organized by musical trait rather than animal species, and drawing upon the work of such esteemed philosophers as Umberto Eco, Charles Sanders Peirce, and Thomas Sebeok, Martinelli’s analyses redefine the boundaries surrounding music and help readers—scholars and amateurs alike—to appreciate the relationship between animals and musicological exchanges.