Given that Music for Cats was a runaway success, will Laurie
Anderson’s Music For Dogs be the next big thing in the species appropriate
music scene?
By: Ringo Bones
She is not just the “mere” widow of the late, great Lou
Reed; Laurie Anderson is also renowned for her inventive use of technology –
from her 1981 hit O Superman to her appointment as NASA’s first
artist-in-residence. Laurie Anderson is indeed one of America’s most daring creative
pioneers her eclectic multidisciplinary career has spanned the worlds of art,
theatre and experimental music and has seen her create works as a writer,
director, visual artist and vocalist. But will her Music for Dogs for this year’s
Brighton Festival be the next big thing when it comes to the still unoccupied
scene of species appropriate music?
“Wouldn’t it be great if you’re playing a concert and you
look out and everyone’s a dog,” Laurie Anderson mused while waiting backstage
with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. True to form, Anderson made her outlandish dream come
true: first at the Sydney Opera House and again in New York’s Times Square
earlier this year, making headlines around the world. The 20-minute long piece
has been specifically designed for the canine ear, including frequencies
audible only to dogs, as well as other sounds for humans to enjoy. It looks
like David Teie’s Music For cats is not the only happening thing in the species
appropriate music scene.
Speaking of how dogs react to music, Australia’s Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organization - or CSIRO - published research
results back in 2012 on the result of a study conducted in cooperation with
various veterinarians across Australia on the subject of how dogs react to
music. Upbeat music / up-tempo music tend to make dogs more restless and
animated while quieter slow tempo music – especially those with violins and cellos
by Bach and Mozart – tend to make dogs more relaxed and rested and Laurie
Anderson’s 20 minute piece falls into this category. One of the unexpected results
of the CSIRO research, dogs have shown a preference to campfire music with
guitar and harmonica because they not only howl along with the music but also
smile if they get tired with singing along with the piece.
