When you think of outer space, you might be swept away by feelings of grandeur and longing. You might look up at the stars and feel small, wondering what exactly is out there for us to discover. You might even be swept away by the gorgeous colors and sensations of the unknown. And you wouldn’t be alone. Many composers throughout time have sought to capture those feelings in their music, so let’s take a look at some classical music inspired by the universe.
Music of the Spheres (1868) by Josef Strauss (1827-1870)
Of Josef Strauss‘s 283 published works, Sphären-Klänge (Music of the Spheres) is a charming waltz that uses subtlety and colorful orchestration to paint a sparkling image of our galaxy. The Romantic-era composer was inspired by the intertwined relationship between music and the universe – how each heavenly body makes music as they move through the sky.
Because space travel was unavailable at the time, philosophers believed that celestial objects moved in perfect harmony, and therefore they created heavenly music that could not be heard on earth. In fact, the sparse, warm opening of this piece could be Strauss’s interpretation of that heavenly music. As the waltz begins, high woodwinds represent far-away stars and the theme leaps octaves, representing the desire to see the planets up close.
Holst’s The Planets
As far as classical music inspired by the universe goes, this piece is a must for the list.
In the years 1914-1916, Gustav Holst (1874-1934) penned The Planets – one of the most famous 20th-century works of program music (music that depicts an image or a painting or a story). Originally described as “a series of mood pictures” by the composer, each of the seven movements of this massive composition showcases the astrological ideas and emotions associated with each planet. The names of the movements incorporate both the planet name as well as the planet’s corresponding astrological character.
Here are some cool things about each movement:
- 1. Mars, the Bringer of War (0:00): the snare drum imitates a military drum leading soldiers into battle; this movement might have inspired The Imperial March
- 2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace (8:11): cool tones from the flutes, harps, and celesta contrast with the sweet melody in the violins, symbolizing peace after war
- 3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger (15:38): the scattered, nervous, and unstable rhythms and harmonies portray the ever-moving mind of Mercury
- 4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity (19:26): the center of this movement is an original hymn by Holst that later became a British favorite
- 5. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age (27:25): this movement was Holst’s favorite due to its static, serene, bell-like atmosphere
- 6. Uranus, the Magician (35:49): the mischevious rhythms represent a magician’s apparitions that, after dancing and playing, vanish into the night
- 7. Neptune, the Mystic (42:15): two SSA choirs sing wordlessly offstage to add an eerie effect
Which is your favorite movement from The Planets?
Dark Energy by Kelly-Marie Murphy
Composed in 2007, this contemporary string quartet explores the idea of dark energy: Einstein’s 1917 antigravity force theory that explains why the universe doesn’t collapse. Here’s what the composer, Kelly-Marie Murphy, has to say about the inspiration for the piece:
We live in a cosmologically interesting time. First, Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet reducing our solar system to 8 planets. Then, an ancient cosmic mystery came to light. Apparently five billion years ago, there was a sudden expansion of the cosmos. The galaxies started moving away from one another at a faster pace, as if repelled by some kind of antigravity. Recently, a group of astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope observed that billions of years before this antigravity sent the galaxies flying apart, it was already present in space and affecting the evolution of the cosmos. This antigravity force is known as dark energy.
Program notes by Murphy
Dark Matter attempts to capture that idea. The simple, soft opening uses various melodic and harmonic colors, implementing many different musical techniques. Dark Matter then “gains momentum and is eventually consumed by its own propulsion. The piece is virtuosic in every way, yet there are flexible moments in which each performance can be different,” writes Murphy.
Saturn by Sleeping at Last
This 2016 work captures the beauty and magnificence of Saturn using a gorgeous, lush cello for the main theme. A soft, echoing piano adds a feeling of weightlessness and emotion. Visually, Saturn is one of the most beautiful of planets – and that’s what this piece captures.
Polaris (2010) by Thomas Adès
I found a wonderful article in the San Francisco Classical Voice where author Georgia Rowe perfectly explains the sensations of Polaris by Thomas Adès (check out the full article here):
Polaris begins with an insinuating melody introduced by piano and circulated among five groups of brass instruments — trumpets, high horns, trombones, low horns, and tuba — playing in canon; the theme branches out into 12 pitches, but always returns, as if magnetized, to an anchor: a kind of musical Polaris, or North Star, around which other stars revolve.
Rowe
Minimalism combines with counterpoint and texture to create a sensation of endlessness. This piece is a living organism, one that breathes and shifts constantly. Shimmering colors and sensations flow and surge, adding layers upon layers of sound to the already simmering universe.
Throughout, Adès turns the original theme on its head, passing it around the orchestra, introducing weightier orchestrations, then thinning the texture in a return to the sound of
Rowepiano and serene strings. The second section, augmented by mallet instruments, recalls the flavor of Balinese gamelan; the crashing chords of the finale suggest the destruction of a star — or perhaps the birth of a new one.
Ola Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass
This gorgeous work moves from the planets to sunrise and back, combining images of the universe with the softly dawning morning. Heavenly harmonies and ethereal melodies encapsulate this work, surrounding the listener with feelings of vastness and wonder. Check out my full analysis of this Sunrise Mass here.
A Million Skies
And of course, I couldn’t finish this post without sharing some of my own compositions! Check out my album A Million Skies for music based on the universe, nature, life, and more. A Million Skies uses minimalism and ambiance combined with classical ideas to create an imaginative, relaxing, cosmic atmosphere – one you can get lost in.
I’m still working on getting all of the tracks up on YouTube, but here’s the playlist of what I have so far:
This post includes only a handful of classical music inspired by the universe. Which piece is your favorite? And do you have any suggestions to add to this list?
Hi Kathryn. Rued Langgaard was an eccentric Danish composer whose music became more and more reactionary the longer he composed (to the extent where he even opposed the comparatively conservative Carl Nielsen, then the leading Danish composer of the day). But a fairly early work of his, also called The Music of the Spheres, was far more innovative than anything Nielsen could have dreamt up – so much so, in fact, that his still-living countryman Per Nørgård (whose own music is well worth investigating, if you haven’t heard any of it) had no difficulty fooling a 1960s council of composers headed by György Ligeti (who then epitomised Modernism’s cutting edge) into believing it was a contemporary work, as he explains in this delightful video.
Wow, thanks for sharing! I’ll have to check out these videos and composers. I always love learning about music I’m not familiar with!