Bill Pirkle wrote:

>Anyone who is interested in whether or not birds can compose music should
>read this fascinating article:
>
> http://www.sciencenews.org/20000415/bob2.asp

Thanks to Bill for this great article, in which you can download the
birdsongs that are similar to familiar phrases in classical music.

On a somewhat similar note, I have just read "Music, the Brain, and
Ecstasy" by Robert Jourdain, Avon, 1997.  It is a remarkable explanation
of how music interacts with our auditory system and our brains to produce
pleasure.  He spends a fair amount of time on the question of meaning in
music and on whether music is a language, which was a long and interesting
thread on this list a few months ago.

Bill Walsh
Auburn, AL