David Rotheberg - The Communication with the Nature

David Rothenberg’s fascination with the natural world and its connection with humans made the musicality of sounds a special way of communication. He was interested in the way animals produce music, such as whales, birds, and insects, he even wrote a book called “Why Birds Sing: A Journey into the Mystery of Bird Song” (2005).

Upon listening and watching the video “Nightingales in Berlin”, I could not but notice David’s eagerness while talking about the birds, the way they move, and explaining the real reason why they are in Berlin. He claims that “Berlin is the center of nightingale’s science”, for he is fascinated by the fact that such a big city has so many nightingales. Not only did he play his clarinet along with the singing of the birds, but also the other musicians as well. When combining these two sounds, we get a piece of enjoyable, pleasant music, which can be listened to everywhere, it makes the soul calm, it creates magic. It is amazing how birds can feel the music and they sing together with the sounds produced from the instruments, they are not afraid, they follow the notes and that’s what makes them special. I would agree with David’s statement that “humans could not make out without nightingales”, because in my opinion music starts with the birds.

However, another experiment Rothenberg did was with the whales, it’s absorbing the way whales detect the music itself, it’s like their way of communicating with each other. It is also David’s way to link with them, as animals cannot talk, he found a method to reach them. The whales’ song is so diverse that fits into many genres, the sounds they produce, and the way they make a kind of a “break” between making those sounds like they’re real musicians. 

In addition, David Rothenberg’s technique and method show that music can be extended across all the natural and human world and that we are all living beings feeling the same thing but producing in a different way. The magic he created by interacting with these animals, therefore manifests through the fact that we are able to communicate with them using music and if we focus enough perhaps we can understand their way of expressing themselves.