‘MUSIC hath charms to soothe a savage breast.”
Playwright William Congreve’s famous line is oft-misquoted as “savage beast.” In fact, one animal lover in particular deliberately misquotes the line, proudly taking “Music to soothe a savage beast” as her slogan and life’s work.
She’s a harpist whose specialty is recording music to calm anxious animals.
Californian Susan Raimond learned of the healing power of sound years ago, when she noticed her own dog lying down and conking out at her feet while she strummed her harp. Now she’s a pioneer in the field of bioacoustics, the scientific study of how animals respond to sound.
Raimond visits places where animals are typically very stressed – groomers, vet hospitals, zoos – and strums soothing strains for them. The results are astonishing, with animals like cats, and even gorillas, lying down and falling fast asleep.
I have firsthand experience with Raimond’s music: When my pit bull Britannia Tige battled a life-threatening tetanus infection a while back, I lost sleep keeping watch over her for seizures. As a result, my sleep schedule was seriously out of whack – and the only thing that righted my REM cycle was Raimond’s “Wait for the Sunset” CD (petpause2000.com). It was, ahem, instrumental in Britannia’s complete recovery.
Now, the harpist’s philosophy is gaining new ground. A book titled “Through a Dog’s Ear” ($18.95) with a chapter penned by Raimond, explains how music and sound can improve the health and behavior of people’s pups. Other musicians like California pianist Lisa Spector also create music to help calm anxious animals. In fact, Spector recently recorded a CD of classical compositions in simple arrangement – some of which are meant to soothe, others that are designed to be uplifting – that comes with the book.
Recently, when Spector visited Manhattan, she tickled ivories at swanky Steinway Hall. Her audience, a sweet rescued pit bull named Tuttles, who’s been patiently waiting two years for a home, was all ears. But what would really be music to Tuttles’ ears is getting adopted. To grant his wish, call the Humane Society of New York at (212) 752-4840.