Cat’s music: even animals ‘enjoy’ soothing melodies

‘Arranged sounds’

IBy Cezary Owerkowicz

n my native, it means Polish language and in few others there is description ‘cat’s music’, synonym of English ‘charivari racket’. It seems to be absolutely pejorative description. It describes noise, hullabaloo, cacophony, hubbub, tumult.

Also not clear of false performance, lack of musical education, training, idea, preparation, disharmony, (unplanned) dissonances. Just — humbug. Why? It contains ‘cats’ and ‘music’, two rather positive elements, isn’t it? I love music, I like cats. More: one of co-operation of those two brought very good results.

Andrew Lloyd Webber (born 1948), English composer of such musicals as Evita, Jesus Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, so successful all over the world that he was honored by Oscar, seven Tony Awards, a Golden Globe, a Grammy and at last not the least — Knighthood and Honorary Membership of the House of Lords and as a result went on to become the owner of seven theatres in London.

He composed the phenomenal musical ‘Cats’ to poems by Nobel Prize Winner Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965) — an American settled in England, educated at the Harvard University, Paris Sorbonne and the British Oxford. In the year of the Revolution — 1917 he joined the Lloyd Bank and edited the first volume of his poems. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1948.

Webber presented his musical at the West End in 1981 and at the Broadway in 1982. Since then the premieres of the musical have become top hits of their kind: The London production ran continuously for 21 years and at Broadway for 18 years being until now one of very few longestrunning productions in the history of music. It won numerous awards as Best Musical, Laurence Oliver, and Tony and so on. However as the best awards looks continuous love of the audience.

Maybe you know already, also from my articles, that once upon a time, a cat became a renowned composer? It applies to favorite cat of Domenic Scarlatti (16851757), the renowned Italian musician, who spent a majority of his life serving on the Spanish and Portuguese Royal Courts as Royal teacher and composer.

Owerkowicz

Keyboard

He composed an astronomic number of 555 keyboard Sonatas. One of his famous Sonatas is ‘The Cat’s Fugue’. Legend has it that Scarlatti had a favorite cat called Pulcinella who was described by the composer as prone to walking across the harpsichord keyboard always curious about its sound.

The nickname of the piece originates from a story how Scarlatti came up with the strikingly unusual motif on which the fugue was built. One day he took his nap after lunch but was woken up by that motif coming from Pulcinella’s paws.

Scarlatti sat under the keyboard and improvised the piece on the original tune of Pulcinella. The Cat’s Fugue was published for the first time in London in 1739 by George Frederic Haendel born the same year 1685 as Scarlatti and Bach (astrologic influence?) Why cats don’t like a noise? Not only humans like silence. Animals appreciate it even more because they have ... a much better hearing. In certain species the organ of hearing develops in such a way to allow them to hear at the frequency essential to their existence.

A majority of animals have hearing out of any comparison better than we have. For example dogs are much more sensitive to sound waves with higher frequency. They receive some kinds of sounds hundred times better than we do. Some animals are able to precisely locate sources of sound waves and hear sounds from much far distances than humans extremely well.

Everybody who tries to open a fridge noiselessly had a chance to notice how perfect hearing have our favorites. Dogs or cats have succeeded in those abilities from their ancestors. For many of the carnivores ability of hearing sounds of very high frequency produced by rodents and little birds was a matter for survival, because those individuals, who have the abilities to hear their potential victims, are able to capture provender.

Survive

Cats, whose ability to survive depends exclusively on catching small rodents, are even more sensitive to high sounds than dogs are. They have the ability to hear sounds of frequency from 5 to 10 thousand Hz higher than dogs. Cat hears sounds two octaves higher than humans, in other words those which we describe us ultrasounds. It makes their scale of hearing as wide as eleven octaves!

Since ever noise was a synonym of a threat because of that the animals try to avoid it. Sudden appearance of loud or undesirable sound results in immediate escape. Animals also react very quickly for long-drawn or frequent noise.

It would provoke tension, anxiety or even aggression. The fourfooted escapes from the source of undesirable sound or attacks it. It happened that after the noise accident we have patiently long time to encourage it to leave a hidingplace. The same, like with people, noise causes stress in animals. In effect they would lose appetite, sleep, becomes chap-fallen and reluctant to play.

Sensibility

We, humans believe that cats and dogs live in the world of cacophony. Suffering because of too loud noise is the most frequent case of after-shock losing hearing by animals. The level of injury depends from the level of sound, time of exposure and individual sensibility for noise.

It makes that not only shockingly loud sound as a blow of petard would hurt its hearing but also noise not so sudden but also long term and/or frequent exposure. Perfect hearing of our pets makes that even loud talking would initiate their discomfort but shouts and screams, especially sudden, unexpected would cause neurosis, tension, lowering of comfort and feeling of safety.

For us it is not a major problem because we don’t hear or notice at all many of those sounds; quite opposite that our favorites... We already live in the jungle of sounds. Margin of silence is more and more reduced.

But it is quite opposite with music. If the sound is properly chosen and directed it would act both — either destructive or creative. Scientific research has proven that the system of hearing reacts positively on arranged sounds, laid out in order, harmonized and creating a certain set. Especially the profitable influence on the constitution exerts sounds of low frequency, closer in its characteristic to the sounds originated in nature.

It was proved that classical or relaxing music soothes animals, facilitates them to relax and fall asleep. A suitable tone and rhythm would make their heartbeat and breathing quiet and regular.

Before I read the results of nowadays scientific researches I remembered a story told to me when I was a child by my grandma Irene. She was also a pianist as my mom and me. When she was a young girl every day she practiced on the piano at her family house in a beautiful town on the shore of Black Sea — Odessa. (Her father was a City Engineer/architect.)

They had a dog, a lover of music. The moment she came near the piano her pet would immediately follow her, sit near her feet and when she starts to play would discretely murmur, evidently extremely happy.

On a different note years ago I noticed in Kuwait at our previous location at the University house in Jabriya. When my wife (also pianist!) sat to play on a piano, a rat would appear on the carpet regularly and would stand on its hind legs and remain still... reminiscent of an ardent listener. However it was not my wife’s favorite... Let me not continue that story; to cut of cat’s music...

Editor’s Note: Cezary Owerkowicz is the chairman of the Kuwait Chamber of Philharmonia and talented pianist. He regularly organises concerts by well-known musicians for the benefit of music lovers and to widen the knowledge of music in Kuwait. His e-mail address is: cowerkowicz @yahoo.com and cowerkowicz@hotmail.com