I am minding a female canary for holidaying friends.  About a year ago,
its late partner was stimulated by Krommer's Clarinet Concerto to sing, but
otherwise, they ignored any music they heard.  Yesterday, after spending
much of the day doing what canaries usually do, she suddenly became very
active and chirped right through the last movement of Bartok's first string
quartet, then returned to her former indolence during the following Haydn
piano sonata.  She may have been complaining about the music or suggesting
that the Takacs version is better than the Emerson one she was listening
to.  Food and drink were readily available, so that wasn't the problem.

Years ago, I witnessed a sleeping cat galvanised by the opening section of
the Liber scriptus from Verdi's Requiem to the extent that it attacked some
curtains beyond repair.  It again became agitated when it heard the same
music several days later.

Occasionally, we read of dairy farmers playing classical music to their
herds.  In the delightful English TV series, Pie in the Sky, the main
character, a restaurateur, plays tapes of Elgar to soothe his hens.

I raise all this, not for any deep and meaningful discussion, but simply
to know if there are any other anecdotes of animals and music.

Richard Pennycuick
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