The long and haunting songs of humpback whales changed history 50 years ago through the release of a recording: “Songs of the Humpback Whale.” Hearing the voices of these animals affected audiences, stimulating the Save the Whales movement – spearheaded by Roger Payne – to regulate and partially close the global whaling industry and to raise interest in whales among artists and musicians. It also prompted whale song studies which have continued ever since on breeding grounds in all oceans, as we've learned that whales are improvisational composers whose communal song rapidly changes in every breeding season and thus is always unique both to time and place. All of this has recently become of great interest to the musical community.
Dr. Payne will present the discovery that whales sing as well as some of the events that have revealed the social and political impact on people in several nations. Katy Payne will present some of their findings about the whales' ever-changing songs, recorded by them and others over two decades in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans.
