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String Quartet 8: The Music of the Spheres

March 4th, 2018 · 3 Comments

Athanasius Kircher gave a brief realization of the music of the spheres in Musurgia Universalis (1650). Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars correspond to the soprano; the sun to the alto; Venus, Mercury, and the moon to the tenor; and the earth to the bass. I expanded his four measures to a hundred. He suggested that the planets orbit through the modes; I added key changes and ornamentation.

This is inevitably ambient. I suspect a concert audience would not be entertained. If you like, you can make it longer by repeating the first 96 measures a few times, and then closing with the last four.

Tags: *Music · S

3 responses so far ↓

  • 1 mamie caton // Mar 10, 2018 at 2:28 am

    Could one repeat it 48 times if in a hurry?

  • 2 Doug // Mar 10, 2018 at 10:29 am

    If you’re in a hurry, there are always advertising jingles. They’re short and tuneful.

  • 3 name String Quartets // Aug 18, 2018 at 2:06 pm

    […] 8: THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES. An extension of a brief realization of the music of the spheres by Athanasius Kircher. […]