Music and the Cosmos. An Astronomical Selection

The relations between art and the stars are deeply rooted in the whirlwind of the past. The sky as an inspiration for culture must predate even language; it could be at the very origin of all that is human if we think that, for thousands and thousands of years, until before the birth of astronomical sciences and their modern space observation technologies, the stars in the sky gave meaning to people’s lives in many ways. They continue to do so now: think about the attention so many people pay to the daily horoscope or the cultural elements that give life and character to the celestial bodies around us, whether they arise from observation and knowledge—the phases of the Moon in the agricultural calendar, for example—or from human fantasy—as in the case of the persistent fear of an extraterrestrial invasion. Sun, Moon, and other celestial bodies have been expression of deities and supernatural forces in all cultures and, for the most visible of them from our gravity, we continue to use names given since ancient times.

But among all human expressions, music is possibly the art that has been most closely linked to the cosmos throughout history. Beyond the chants that may have been composed for the stars since the beginning of time, in the Greece of Pericles, mathematician Pythagoras began the systematization of sound following the patterns provided by the observation of the skies. The harmony of the firmament—the music of the spheres, the balance of their movements, their regularities, and the senses derived from them gave him the basis to found the first theory of music we know, in which the intervals that distinguish a sound from another were defined, thus establishing a norm, a canon for musical creation, which followed a plan based on the perfect order attributed to the cosmos. 

Time would prove that human perception of music is socially and culturally determined, meaning each culture defines its canon, and requires other types of determination of sound intervals. The notion of temperament came up in the Baroque era to justify that the construction of instruments did not follow the cosmic order of sounds inherited from the Greeks. Nevertheless, the cosmos would forever remain as a source of inspiration for those who create music. The following is a list of some of these creations that have contributed to shape the Universe for our perception. 

We have selected some academic and popular musical pieces off a list Andrew Fraknoi compiled in 2019 (“Music Inspired by Astronomy, Organized by Topic”: https://astrosociety.org/file_download/inline/b8f894bc-7ee9-41db-9d5f-64b16caedbec), and we added a few others, mainly of Mexican origin and sung in Spanish.

• George F. Handel, “Total Eclipse” the aria from the oratorio Samson. This song compares Samson’s blindness to a solar eclipse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bWE1vZ9OKw. 
• Gustave Holst, The Planets. Probably the best known musical piece about the Solar System, of an impressive grandeur, it simply could not be missing from this list (even though Fraknoi avoided it). Rather than the planets themselves, this suite approaches their classic mythological qualities, e.g., the beginning dedicated to “Mars, Bringer of War.” https://youtu.be/Isic2Z2e2xs?si=IuE51uRenk-bOS6e. 
• Henryk Gorecki, Symphony No. 2, Copernican. Composition commissioned to the author for the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus. It includes texts from De revolutionibus, the great Copernican work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF_h9147RIw. 
• Karlheinz Stockhausen, Ylem. The electronic music pioneer in Germany, author of the most sophisticated compositions, tries to emulate the motions of the Universe, particularly its expansion. So much so, that the musicians “expand” during the execution, moving away from each other, just like galaxies do in the cosmos. https://youtu.be/o4oDwAQ_q3A?si=AHEk5QHWxw05ggEy&t=1247. 
• Terry Riley, Sun Rings. The genius of Minimalism created this piece for the Kronos Quartet with interventions of plasma recordings made by probes like Voyager and Cassini, converted into electronic sound. Listen to some extracts here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIiUHPWFFOA. 
• Philip Glass, Orion. Multicultural piece—performed by instrumentalists and instruments from all around the world—commissioned for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Glass worked with such musicians as Ravi Shankar, Mark Atkins, Wu Man, Foday Musa Suso, Ashley MacIsaac, and Uakti. He took inspiration from different mythologies related to the constellation that we know as Orion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msujun-8KzI&list=PLM0vXJNPEZIluqZWuDuS-aasguq7wD5dv. 
• Kaija Saariaho, Asteroid 4179: Toutatis. Brief piece based on the complex rotary motion of this near-Earth asteroid. The original album includes the suite The Planets by Holst. Performed by Berlin Philharmonic, directed by Simon Rattle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlOANAo7xJo. 
• Fazil Say, Universe (3^rd symphony). The Turkish composer approaches several astronomical topics in this symphony: Venus, the expansion of the Universe, a hypothetical exoplanet in the Gliese 581g system, the well-known Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, a supernova, and dark matter. https://youtu.be/NFvZ5onSX3I?si=Vn2EjsZo5cC-sKKw&t=235. 
• Paola Prestini, The Hubble Cantata. Music, art, science, and technology work altogether on this stage performance for virtual reality, designed with the collaboration of astronomer Mario Livio. This piece brings the audience to the Orion Nebula by using images and videos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. You can find some extracts with the author’s and other characters’ interventions here: https://youtu.be/2PVGbVZYCR8?si=gXNUcRGYBFvzLTsO. 
• Brian Eno et al., Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks. One of the leading exponents of Ambient music created these versions following the feeling of floating between the Earth and the Moon. This is an audio track taken out of a documentary about the Apollo lunar missions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a76E5Kc-d_w. 
• John Coltrane, Interstellar Space. Between the latest and greatest avant-garde proposals by this saxophonist, this suite for saxophone and percussion ensemble stands out. It travels through four movements/planets: “Mars”, “Venus”, Jupiter” and “Saturn”. https://youtu.be/N4-4hwsa-ak?si=uWaS8WpGX3N_0OL4. 
• Alice Coltrane, “Galaxy in Turiya” (from the album Astral Meditations). Alice Coltrane’s music (as well as John’s, her partner and biggest influence) approach mysticism and the ecstatic trance before the cosmos. This piece for string orchestra, harp, and other instruments is an example in which the sidereal travel can almost be felt. https://youtu.be/SJR5bJD143g?si=0Z-wS-yUQ_7QbXM5. 
• Sun Ra, Space Is the Place (or any other of his albums). Sun Ra—and his Astro Infinity Arkestra, sometimes named differently—stands out among the Free Jazz explosion because of his experimental ability and his astral orientation. Few composers have committed to cosmic reflection in the ways this genius did, merging jazz with electronic music and anything else he encounters along the way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmY72PYQXekh. 
• Jane Ira Bloom, “Most Distant Galaxy” (from the album Art and Aviation). Improvised jazz piece, commissioned by NASA for its artistic program. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5Xj66xHyTM. 
• Pink Floyd, “Moonhead”. Unpublished until 2016, this piece was improvised by the band during the Apollo 11 Moon landing. It is one of this famous band’s least acknowledged songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oHL9KYpduI. 
• Jethro Tull, “Orion” (from the album Stormwatch). Progressive folk genius Ian Anderson uses the constellations’ majesty to reference the littleness of life on Earth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40coItA-EJY.
• David Bowie, “Space Oddity” (from the album known by the same title, although its actual title was David Bowie). This song recreated a space journey in which the protagonist succumbs to the rapture of space and leaves off to the infinite. A graphic novel adaptation for children’s audience can be found here: https://archive.org/details/SpaceOddityByDavidBowieAndAndrewKolb. Astronaut Chris Hadfield played it during his stay at the International Space Station in 2013. Bowie original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYYRH4apXDo. Hadfield’s version: https://youtu.be/KaOC9danxNo?si=D1aUf5_hQwgcCaia. 
• Rush, “Cygnus X-1” (from the album A Farewell to Kings). Extraordinary songwriter and drummer Neal Peart tells a space traveler’s adventures who is sucked into a black hole by gravity. A graphic novel adaptation can be found here: https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/comicbook-cygnus-x1-b1.php. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeQLVxBczBY.
• Kraftwerk, “Radioactivity” (from the album Radio-activity). This German postpunk electronic legend delivers a dialogue between radio activity and radioactivity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrJfKdvYkEY. 
• Bonnie Tyler, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (from the album Faster than the Speed of Night). A pop hit that looks at the process of falling out of love as the light blocking in an eclipse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcOxhH8N3Bo. 
• The Police, “Walking on the Moon” (from the album Regatta de Blanc). Pop hit that compares the feeling of falling in love with walking on the Moon, a less gravitational medium. The music video was filmed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPwMdZOlPo8. 
• The Flower Kings, Stardust We Are. Nearly the entire work of Swedish guitarist Roine Stolt revolves around galaxies and sci-fi futuristic scenarios, but this album stands out because of the reference in its title (see p. 14 in this
  issue). https://youtu.be/FK6tF89Wp3E?si=WgVq-gnyKAMkN6G6. 
• Felipe Villanueva, “Venus”. Written in the Romantic realm, it is clear that it was the goddess and not the planet what inspired this dance based in the Habanera, but what would it have been of the goddess without the planet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2av87zzG4Y. 
• Agustín Lara, “Estrellita solitaria”. This musician-poet from Tlacotalpan metaphorizes loneliness as a star shine in the firmament: light as hope. https://youtu.be/mPihNxIDEPA?si=MYrfz0kI9szKJGyt. 
• Chucho Navarro, “Rayito de Luna” (performed by Los Panchos). Once again, the Moon and its brightness as a metaphor for the light that love fills us with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BYody7JX_w. 
• Silvio Rodríguez, “Yo digo que las estrellas” (from the album Días y flores). The poet approaches several topics in this song, but they remain framed within the verses about the darkness that allows stars to shine: “Yo digo que las estrellas / le dan gracias a la noche / porque encima de otro coche / no pueden lucir tan bellas” [I think stars must thank the night because they would not look as beautiful otherwise]. The album has another lovely song with astral references, “En el claro de la Luna”, which reminds us of the fabulous “Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven and the Moonlight piano piece by Debussy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDJ5pjcIfG8. 
• Lenine, “O Dia Em Que Faremos Contato” (from the album with the same title). This is a song that asks why would aliens land on any place in Brazil instead of Rio, São Paulo, or Brasília. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vZpV3WSTGw. 
• Briseño, Hebe, Carrasco y Flores, “Viaje al espacio visceral” (from the album with the same title). The Mexican blues player approaches surrealist topics from the idea of a journey that emulates the sidereal with the visceral. It consists in four movements, the first one being “Despegue” (Take Off) and the last one, “Aterrizaje” (Landing). It is among the best productions in Mexican experimental rock. https://youtu.be/1_Ji0Aef2KE?si=IL7jgQqIhes3x56K. 
• Café Tacvba, “El espacio” (from the album Re). Space travel in which the protagonist adopts the personality of a supernova, a sidereal explosion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gll_6pr4Oss. 
• La Gusana Ciega, “Invasión estelar” (from the album Super Bee). It references the fear of an alien invasion as a metaphor for the arrival of a special someone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1zi9gVpq_8.