“I'm floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today”

From the Music of the Spheres to Afrofuturism to a Galaxy a long, long time ago, musicians have been captivated by the stars. For our December display, we wanted to share some of the different eras of music and space from the past to the present.

Music of the Spheres

Greek philosophers, namely Pythagoras and his followers, believed in a cosmic harmony referred to as “music of the spheres” or “music universalis.” They conceived of “the cosmos as a vast lyre, with crystal spheres in the place of strings” (James 1995, 38). Some philosophers connected this to the heavens and religion – and these ideas continue to influence design decisions of spaces like the music library today! You can see some of the planetary diagrams in Composing the World or the inspiration of the planets in the hymn in Music of the Spheres and the Dance of Death. This philosophy around cosmic harmony was built upon until the end of the Renaissance and musicians continue to take inspiration from it today.

Recommended reading

Composing the World: Harmony in the Medieval Platonic Cosmos by Andrew Hicks begins with the 2015 discovery that it was possible to listen to the sounds of the universe. Hicks brings it back through time, looking at how listening to the cosmos has always been a key part of music and astronomy throughout history.

Music of the Spheres and the Dance of Death: Studies in Musical Iconology by Kathi Meyer-Baer goes from the very early roots of the Music of the Spheres in antiquity to its impact in art and literature in the Renaissance. Meyer-Baer deep dives into the philosophy with beautiful art accompanying.

Sing Aloud Harmonious Spheres: Renaissance Conceptions of Cosmic Harmony edited by Jacomien Prins and Maude Vanhaelen features original essays on the understanding of cosmic harmony from antiquity to the early eighteenth century. The chapter “Theory of Heavenly Harmony and Angelic Song in Jewish and Islamic Sources” by Amnon Shiloah provides an interesting perspective of the different contexts in which Music of the Spheres gained popularity.

The Music of the Spheres: Music, Science and the Natural Order of the Universe by Jamie James looks at the histories of music and science and the role of philosophy in bringing them into harmony. James gives a thorough grounding for Music of the Spheres, before delving into its inspirations in later eras.

Shifts in Solar Stories

As science advanced and ideas such as Pythagoreans conceptions of the “cosmos as a vast lyre, with crystal spheres in the place of strings,” were proven false, the ideas of music observalis fell out of favour. However, Music of the Spheres did continue to influence creatives – notably seen in works by authors like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien as discussed in The Music of the Spheres in the Western Imagination.

Classical music regarding outer space became more focused on scientific grounding than heavenly music. Perhaps the most well-known example is Holst’s The Planets, which has been widely performed and adapted. One interesting arrangement is Isao Tomita’s synthesized take on it. Interested in something else? Check out the piece for your horoscope in George Crumb’s Makrokosmos, Volume I.

Recommended reading

The Music of the Spheres in the Western Imagination by David J. Kendall begins with a thorough foundation on the philosophy of the Music of the Spheres before delving into how it influenced works by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Kendall explores music and religion and their connection through Music of the Spheres and where the music of the cosmos lives today.

Holst: The Planets by Richard Greene provides a brief biographic look at Holst, giving context to what inspire him for the creation of The Planets, before delving into the making, reception and music itself.

Afrofuturism

Outside of Western classical music, space has been a source of inspiration for jazz musicians, notably amongst artists who were creating Afrofuturistic pieces. The term Afrofuturism was coined in 1993 by Mark Dery to describe a phenomenon that had been going on long before. Afrofuturism is grounded in Sci-Fi and speculative fiction and brings an erased past for the African diaspora into an imagined future. Key artists in the jazz movement include Sun Ra, who said he was from Saturn, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Alice Coltrane, and many more. Consider exploring some of the album cover art of Sun Ra, which has helped define the genre.

Recommended reading

Afrofuturism and Black Sound Studies: Culture, Technology and Things to Come by Erik Steinskog brings Afrofuturism back into the world of music. Steinskog explores sonic Afrofuturism and Black sound studies, investigating their overlap and commonalities. The chapter “Interstellar Space, Outer Space and Inner Space” orbits Afrofuturist music about the safety or hostility that a future in space represents.

A Pure Solar World: Sun Ra and the birth of Afrofuturism by Paul Youngquist tells the story of musician, composer, poet, and Afrofuturism pioneer Sun Ra. Youngquist provides the context and social influences around Sun Ra and his art in conversation with it, exploring the galaxies Sun Ra created.

Sun Ra Art on Saturn: The Album Cover Art of Sun Ra’s Saturn Label by Irwin Chusid and Chris Reisman is a comprehensive collection of printed covers, hand designed sleeves and disc labels decorated by Sun Ra and the jazz group Sun Ra Arkestra. Essays feature throughout the book, putting the art into context and looking at the impact of Sun Ra and his label Saturn.

A Score for Space

As long as we have been making films, there has been interest in sci fi epics. And with that, comes the need for a score for space. The space race of the 1960s greatly influenced the rise of sci fi in film and television. Inspiration has come from all over, with classical scores such as "Also sprach Zarathustra" in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and the score for Solaris (1972), or original scores such as John Williams' orchestral score for Star Wars, which was inspired by Holst, Stravinsky, and even Gregorian chant.

Recommended reading

Music in Science Fiction Television: Turned to the Future edited by K.J. Donnelly and Philip Hayward looks closer at the music in Sci-Fi, and the decisions composers have made to evoke these otherworldly experiences.

The Music of Space: Scoring the Cosmos in Film and Television by Chris Carberry shares the impact and influence of sci fi and space movies, taking you on a journey from all the way back to 1895 and forward in time to 2022. And if you are interested in what people are listening to in space, Carberry finishes off with what astronauts are tuning in to!

Music

You can find some of the music mentioned in the blog post or on display at our Naxos playlist:

Listen now

Or, listen to particular albums in our collection:

A Musician’s Guide to the Galaxy