Bug Music
How Insects Gave Us Rhythm and Noise
by David Rothenberg
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Pub Date Apr 16 2013 | Archive Date May 31 2013
Description
In the spring of 2013 the cicadas in the Northeastern United States will yet again emerge from their seventeen-year cycle—the longest gestation period of any animal. Those who experience this great sonic invasion compare their sense of wonder to the arrival of a comet or a solar eclipse. This unending rhythmic cycle is just one unique example of how the pulse and noise of insects has taught humans the meaning of rhythm, from the whirr of a cricket’s wings to this unfathomable and exact seventeen-year beat.In listening to cicadas, as well as other humming, clicking, and thrumming insects, Bug Music is the first book to consider the radical notion that we humans got our idea of rhythm, synchronization, and dance from the world of insect sounds that surrounded our species over the millions of years over which we evolved. Completing the trilogy he began with Why Birds Sing and Thousand Mile Song, David Rothenberg explores a unique part of our relationship with nature and sound—the music of insects that has provided a soundtrack for humanity throughout the history of our species. Bug Music continues Rothenberg’s in-depth research and spirited writing on the relationship between human and animal music, and it follows him as he explores insect influences in classical and modern music, plays his saxophone with crickets and other insects, and confers with researchers and scientists nationwide.This engaging and thought-provoking book challenges our understanding of our place in nature and our relationship to the creatures surrounding us, and makes a passionate case for the interconnectedness of species.
Advance Praise
"Bug Music is a cool groove of biology, music, and human culture from an
interspecies musician and scholar fully in tune with nature. It is engaging,
wide-ranging, and profound in suggesting that the thrum of insects is a
primordial musical beat. This book is for everyone who has ever marveled at
nature or delighted in the sounds of her insect choirs, and especially for those
who have done neither."--John Marzluff, author of Dog Days, Raven Nights
and Gifts of the Crow
"I loved this book. It's inspiring, fascinating, and funny. Bug Music is a foray into another world."—Bernd Heinrich, author of Mind of the Raven and Winter World
"Fabulous entomological jazz: David Rothenberg draws together disparate strands of inspiration and writes a new song, full of unexpected riffs and harmonies. Bug Music is a thought-provoking celebration of the acoustic bonds between humans and our insect cousins."--David George Haskell, author of The Forest Unseen
"As a musician and a scientist, I was fascinated by the parallels between the songs of the cicada and the human. Rothenberg is a great conductor in Bug Music, bringing out the melodies and harmonies, and exposing the mysteries, in the great insect orchestra that surrounds us. A must read for all who question and seek our place in nature."--Daniel Chamovitz, author of What a Plant Knows
"In the author’s words, ‘We are all connected through the vast music of life.’ Rothenberg’s engaging prose not only inspires us to seek those connections, but to open our ears to the music of insects, to whose tune we all may be dancing."—John Himmelman, author of Cricket Radio
"David Rothenberg is like the Greil Marcus of nature. No one writes about the sounds of the wild so smartly, so evocatively, so beautifully. Bug Music is tremendous."--Tom Bissell, author of Chasing the Sea and Magic Hours
"I loved this book. It's inspiring, fascinating, and funny. Bug Music is a foray into another world."—Bernd Heinrich, author of Mind of the Raven and Winter World
"Fabulous entomological jazz: David Rothenberg draws together disparate strands of inspiration and writes a new song, full of unexpected riffs and harmonies. Bug Music is a thought-provoking celebration of the acoustic bonds between humans and our insect cousins."--David George Haskell, author of The Forest Unseen
"As a musician and a scientist, I was fascinated by the parallels between the songs of the cicada and the human. Rothenberg is a great conductor in Bug Music, bringing out the melodies and harmonies, and exposing the mysteries, in the great insect orchestra that surrounds us. A must read for all who question and seek our place in nature."--Daniel Chamovitz, author of What a Plant Knows
"In the author’s words, ‘We are all connected through the vast music of life.’ Rothenberg’s engaging prose not only inspires us to seek those connections, but to open our ears to the music of insects, to whose tune we all may be dancing."—John Himmelman, author of Cricket Radio
"David Rothenberg is like the Greil Marcus of nature. No one writes about the sounds of the wild so smartly, so evocatively, so beautifully. Bug Music is tremendous."--Tom Bissell, author of Chasing the Sea and Magic Hours
"Rothenberg raises thoughtful questions about the nature of music and our ability to communicate with other species. The author's wide-ranging musical interests--from Renaissance madrigals and John Cage to electronica and katydids--together with his playful, almost romantic approach to the subject helps engage general readers, balancing the book's more technical material."-- Publishers Weekly
Marketing Plan
Philosopher and jazz musician David Rothenberg is professor of philosophy and music at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the author of Survival of the Beautiful, Why Birds Sing, and Thousand Mile Song. He lives in the Hudson Valley, New York. Please visit www.bugmusicbook.com and www.davidrothenberg.net.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781250005212 |
| PRICE | $26.99 (USD) |
