The Musicality of Birds: From Charles Darwin to Hermeto Pascoal

Abstract

Traditionally, music is studied from an anthropocentric point of view, which neglects the wealth of knowledge that can be learned from considering the role of the natural world in the creation of music. One of the most notable contemporary jazz composers to draw inspiration from the natural world is the Brazilian composer Hermeto Pascoal. Throughout Hermeto’s prolific career, he has written numerous compositions that were inspired by nature. This essay explores several compositions by Hermeto that were directly inspired by birds and examines the musicality of birds through the lens of evolutionary biology and aesthetics. To demonstrate the intricacies of bird songs, I will explore Charles Darwin’s theory of sexual selection, aesthetic mate choice, and his ideas concerning aesthetic evolution. By understanding the function of bird songs and how they have evolved, new insights can be gained that will offer a new way to appreciate Hermeto Pascoal’s music. I argue that the complexity of aesthetic mate choice is manifested in the intricacies of bird songs and has subsequently influenced the compositional output of contemporary musicians such as Hermeto Pascoal, which has led to a deeper appreciation of biotic art in the jazz idiom.