Most Beautiful Sound in the World is in Malaysian swamp

A two-minute recording from a Malaysian swamp at dusk has been judged The Most Beautiful Sound in the World in an online competition.

Sound expert Julian Treasure launched the competition last October on the online association BeautifulNow.

Treasure, chairman of the British consultancy the Sound Agency, spoke with CBC Radio's Spark on Sunday and played part of the winning clip, titled Dusk by the Frog Pond and recorded at Kubah National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia.

"It was a sound of a swamp with a frogs singing. The most amazing, rich recording of just life — teeming life," he told host Nora Young. "And listening to it you really get the sense of nature at its fullest, and most abundant and most exciting."

Treasure judged hundreds of entries with Bernie Krause, who is considered among the best nature sound recordists. They whittled the submissions down to a final dozen.

Treasure described the winning entry as "like a symphony of life just expressing itself" and said he was inspired that so many submissions were from natural environments. Popular entries included cats purring, babies gurgling and giggling, and sounds of running water and surf washing over a beach.

You can listen to the 12 finalists on the BeautfulNow website. Treasure suggests listeners wear headphones for a more immersive auditory experience.

Hear the full interview by clicking the embedded audio player.