When the Earth Started to Sing

 David George Haskell in Emergence Magazine: "When the Earth Started to Sing" (link)

This sonic journey written and narrated by David G. Haskell brings us to the beginning of sound and song on planet Earth. The experience is made entirely of tiny trembling waves in air, the fugitive, ephemeral energy that we call sound. Spoken words combined with terrestrial sounds invite our senses and imaginations to go outward into an experience of the living Earth and its history. How did the vast and varied chorus of modern sounds—from forest to oceans to human music—emerge from life’s community? When did the living Earth first start to sing? We invite you on a journey into deep time and deep sound that will open your ears and your imagination.

We recommend that you listen with good headphones if you can. Let your ears experience, explore, and enjoy in an open-ended way.

The essay traces "terrestrial sound" from the elements to simple pre-historic creatures to humans.  When he gets to humans, there's this great section about musical instruments which all rely on "interbeing" of humans and animals and plants (bones of animals, skin of animals, wood, hair of animals, even plastic from ancient animals).  I think inter-being is a Thich Nhat Hanh word.  The simple essay becomes a meditation on inter-being and a call to be grateful for our inter-being and with the "blessings' of rich forest sounds.  

Here are some transcriptions from a second listen:

we "merge our bodies with substances of other bodies" to make music with musical instruments.  "Bird bones animated with breath" A relationship to other species: skins on drums, metal ores, hair in bows.

But, "we hide or are unaware of ecological connections."  We are "immersed in inter-being"; "we draw ancient sunlight" (from coal)

We are in a "crisis of inattention and disconnection"... Through "choice, apathy, dislocations of global economy"... "sensory disconnection"

"sensual embodied understanding"

"If we listened, would we tolerate..."

I'm guessing it's been adapted from his new book Sounds Wild and Broken