The human connection to music has led many to wonder if our primate relatives, monkeys, share this appreciation for sound and rhythm. Scientists have explored this question, seeking to understand what their reactions reveal about animal minds and the evolutionary origins of music.
Monkey Reactions to Human Music
When presented with music composed for humans, monkeys show little to no interest. Studies involving species like cotton-top tamarins and marmosets found the animals preferred silence over a range of human music genres. The acoustic principles that appeal to people, such as intricate melodies and harmonies, do not register in the same way for these primates. Their vocal range and the sounds that are biologically meaningful to them are very different from our own.
The tempos and pitches common in human music fall outside the realm of what captures a monkey’s attention. In some experiments, certain types of music, particularly loud and fast-tempo pieces like rock, resulted in agitation rather than enjoyment. When researchers played heavy metal for tamarins, the monkeys became more relaxed, but their response was not as strong as for music designed specifically for them. These findings suggest that the structures of human music do not align with their natural auditory processing.
Music Designed for Monkeys
The lack of response to human music led researchers to ask what kind of music a monkey would like. Psychologist Charles Snowdon and cellist David Teie created compositions based on monkey communication. They analyzed the vocalizations of cotton-top tamarins, translating their natural calls into musical form. This “species-specific” music was designed to be biologically relevant.
The compositions were based on two types of tamarin calls: affiliation calls for friendly contact, and threat or fear calls. The “calm” music mimicked the slow tempo and descending pitches of affiliation calls. Conversely, the “threat” music incorporated the fast tempos and short, staccato notes of alarm calls. Teie used a cello and his voice to recreate these acoustic features.
The effect on the tamarins was clear. When the calming, affiliation-based music was played, the monkeys slowed their movements, showed fewer signs of anxiety, and engaged in more social and feeding behaviors. In contrast, the threat-based music prompted agitation, increased movement, and anxious behaviors like scent-marking. This showed that monkeys have an emotional response to music composed using sounds from their own vocal language.
What This Tells Us About Animal Perception
The differing reactions to human and species-specific music reveal that a monkey’s perception of sound is rooted in its evolutionary context. Their response is not based on an abstract appreciation of melody but on whether the sounds mimic something meaningful. The musical elements that resonate with them signal important information, such as a calm group member or an approaching danger.
This research suggests the emotional components of music may have early evolutionary origins, predating humans. For monkeys, the music that matters is a functional form of communication. The pitches, tempo, and dissonance are not for entertainment but are direct cues that influence their emotional state and behavior. They possess their own meaningful acoustic world, even if they do not appreciate human compositions.