The 1909 New York Times article describes various attempts of an "Office Radical" to prove to an "Office Philosopher" that animals do indeed appreciate music. Regarding orangutans, it was noted that when a Caruso record was played, one of them "...came dashing out with a delighted expression with the first note, caught hold of his swing, and began swinging around his cage in time to the music, and as long as it was kept up he continued in this metrical swinging." For the camels they played "The Campbells are Comin'" and they were apparently delighted. They stretched out their long necks toward the source of the music and all seemed to group together. Animals such as wolves and coyotes experienced negative effects toward the music and seemed frightened.
According to Emily G. Patterson-Kane and Mark J. Farnworth in their commentary "Noise Exposure, Music, and Animals in the Laboratory: A Commentary Based on Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF) Discussions," nonhuman animals are much more likely to respond positively to classical or easy-listening music. Dogs have been noticed to appear relaxed when such music is played. More abrasive music, like heavy metal or ska, tends to upset animals and causes them to exhibit symptoms of stress.
According to Veronica Sinnaeve in her blog "Music for Animals: More than Relaxing?" a couple of dogs actually fall asleep next to their owners' drum set---as he is playing it. This indicates a difference in observed trends where loud bass tones usually agitate dogs, but it seems in this case the dogs have become accustomed to the loud noises and even find it comforting.
Domesticated animals have adapted to a human world, where music and loud noises exist all the time. The case of the sleeping dogs in front of a drum set may not be that unusual. According to Claudia Miclaus in her article "Animals and Music," pets are aware of human emotion and, in turn, can become stressed upon sensing that we are upset; animals in the wild will never have to experience the things a pet is accustomed to. The dogs sleeping in front of the drum set and not being frightened is a result of adaptation and evolution.
For animals that are easily frightened by traffic and frequent loud noises, music may help mask daily disturbances and keep them calm and relaxed, according to Patterson-Kane and Farnworth.