Etnographic ornithomusicology study of Luscinia Megarhynchos (Common Nightingale) songs

Animal music has been a subject of curiosity throughout the history and this have long been started to examine within the scope of Zoomusicology since the mid-20th century. With investigations of musical culture and aesthetic perception in non human animal species, which were assumed unique to Homo sapiens, researchers gained a deeper understanding of their evolutionary roots by recalling other musics in nature, thus moved forward from anthropocentrism. As a result of literature examination, it has been determined that the most investigated animals around the world are songbirds (Passeri suborder), including common nightingale. In this regard, a songbird species namely common nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) which is known by his large repertoire and night songs, was selected for research due to its broad distribution in Turkey. This research, as the first music study for specific to a songbird species in Turkey within the framework of Ornithology and Ornithomusicology, will be a model for future studies. This study has mixed methods and ethnographic field research lasting two months, is limited to three geographical regions, four cities and fourteen habitats in Turkey. Thirty songs from common nightingale culture, recorded with a professional sound equipment, were examined in a bioacoustics sound signal program, using sonogram analysis. Accordingly, musical sound and musical form analysis of thirty common nightingale songs were carried out, then all musical and cultural aspects of the songs were revealed in the context of Ornithomusicology.