Music of Spheres - Revision history

Martinwguy: /* Spectrogram */

2023-04-27T16:39:40Z

‎Spectrogram

Martinwguy at 15:00, 22 January 2019

2019-01-22T15:00:25Z

Martinwguy: /* Spectrogram */

2016-06-18T20:59:03Z

‎Spectrogram

Martinwguy at 01:25, 26 May 2016

2016-05-26T01:25:37Z

Martinwguy at 21:02, 3 August 2014

2014-08-03T21:02:55Z

New page

[[Image:Kepler - Harmony of Spheres.png|frame|Kepler's Harmony of Spheres, reproduced in John-Claude Peckers ''Understanding the Heavens'', p.219<ref>[http://books.google.it/books?id=zGOVnMa-LSIC John-Claude Pecker, ''Understanding the Heavens'' on Google Books, p.219]</ref>]]

Delia realised music for [[John Glenister]]'s 1970 TV series ''Biography'' episode 3: ''[[I measured the skies]]'', a 75-minute biography of Johann Kepler, listed in Briscoe's ''[[Radiophonic Workshop Television and Radio Commitments 1970]]''.<ref>[[DD072725]]</ref>

The title of the episode is taken from Kepler's epitaph:<ref>[http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/105977-i-measured-the-skies-now-the-shadows-i-measure-sky-bound Johann Kepler's epitaph on goodreads.com]</ref>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
I measured the skies, now the shadows I measure,
 
Sky-bound was the mind, earth-bound the body rests.
</BLOCKQUOTE>

Kelper had invented a system whereby the orbits of the planets corresponded to musical tones and Delia used this as the basis for her musical realization of his ideas.

<BLOCKQUOTE>
The theme was based on a 16th-century composition by the astronomer Kepler, called “Harmony of the Spheres,” which was electronically treated to provide the science fiction sound associated with the programme.
Kepler had interpreted the sounds made by the planets into scale notes, and Delia subjected them to her own gliding scale of electronic sounds.<ref>Christine Edge's 1970 newspaper article [[Morse code musician]]</ref>
</BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE>
"While the air-raid sirens and bombing sounds of Delia's youth in
wartime Coventry certainly shaped her music, this piece makes that
influence explicit. This rare recording has only ever been released
on an EMS promotional record."
    -- [http://delia-derbyshire.net/sites/recordings.php.html delia-derbyshire.org]
</BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE>
I was there [in Coventry] in the blitz and it's come to me, relatively
recently, that my love for abstract sounds [came from] the air-raid
sirens: that's a sound you hear and you don't know the source of as a
young child... then the sound of the "all clear" - that was electronic
music.
    -- Delia, in the [[Boazine interview]]
</BLOCKQUOTE>

Its tape's catalogue entry is dated January 1970, and on 10th March 1970
the series' director, [[John Glenister]] wrote to Briscoe congratulating Delia for her work:
<BLOCKQUOTE>
I could not have been more pleased with the results.
I thought I might be asking for the impossible, to
restrict Delia's musical talents within the constraints
of what had already been established.
[...] His primitive ideas on 'The Harmony of the Spheres' were realized
with incredible sensitivity and emotive power by Delia's music.
Please pass on my sincere thanks and admiration.
</BLOCKQUOTE>

[[Music of Spheres]] is not to be confused with a different piece of music that Delia created for Bronowski's BBC TV series ''The Ascent of Man'' episode 5: ''[[Music of the Spheres]]''.

=Spectrogram=
{{Spectrogram|Music of Spheres - Spectrogram 55-7040Hz 50pps}}
7-octave spectrogram of [[Music of Spheres]] from A1(55Hz)to A8(7040Hz) at 50 pixels per second
[[File:Music of Spheres.ogg]]

=Availability=
* In the BBC Sound Archive on tape [[TRW 7139]]: "I Measured the Skies".<ref name=TLL>The [[Tape Library List]]'s entry for [[TRW 7139]].</ref>
* Released on promotional LP [[EMS LP 1]], circa 1971.
{{Play|Music of Spheres}}

=References=
<references/>

[[Category:Piece]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Image:Kepler - Harmony of Spheres.png|thumb|right|Kepler's Harmony of Spheres, reproduced in John-Claude Peckers ''Understanding the Heavens'', p.219<ref>[http://books.google.it/books?id=zGOVnMa-LSIC John-Claude Pecker, ''Understanding the Heavens'' on Google Books, p.219]</ref>]]
-Delia realised music for [[John Glenister]]'s 1970 TV series ''Biography'' episode 3: ''[[I measured the skies]]'', a 75-minute biography of Johann Kepler, listed in Briscoe's ''[[Radiophonic Workshop Television and Radio Commitments 1970]]''.<ref>[[DD072725]]</ref>
+Delia realised music for [[John Glenister]]'s 1970 TV series ''[[Biography]]'' episode 3: ''[[I measured the skies]]'', a 75-minute biography of Johann Kepler, listed in Briscoe's ''[[Radiophonic Workshop Television and Radio Commitments 1970]]''.<ref>[[DD072725]]</ref>
 The title of the episode is taken from Kepler's epitaph:<ref>[http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/105977-i-measured-the-skies-now-the-shadows-i-measure-sky-bound Johann Kepler's epitaph on goodreads.com]</ref>

@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 =Spectrogram=
-{{Spectrogram|Music of Spheres - Spectrogram 55-7040Hz 50pps}}
+{{Spectrogallery|Music of Spheres}}
 =Availability=

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Image:Kepler - Harmony of Spheres.png|frame|Kepler's Harmony of Spheres, reproduced in John-Claude Peckers ''Understanding the Heavens'', p.219<ref>[http://books.google.it/books?id=zGOVnMa-LSIC John-Claude Pecker, ''Understanding the Heavens'' on Google Books, p.219]</ref>]]
+[[Image:Kepler - Harmony of Spheres.png|thumb|right|Kepler's Harmony of Spheres, reproduced in John-Claude Peckers ''Understanding the Heavens'', p.219<ref>[http://books.google.it/books?id=zGOVnMa-LSIC John-Claude Pecker, ''Understanding the Heavens'' on Google Books, p.219]</ref>]]
 Delia realised music for [[John Glenister]]'s 1970 TV series ''Biography'' episode 3: ''[[I measured the skies]]'', a 75-minute biography of Johann Kepler, listed in Briscoe's ''[[Radiophonic Workshop Television and Radio Commitments 1970]]''.<ref>[[DD072725]]</ref>
@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 <BLOCKQUOTE>
-"While the air-raid sirens and bombing sounds of Delia's youth in
+&ldquo;While the air-raid sirens and bombing sounds of Delia's youth in
 wartime Coventry certainly shaped her music, this piece makes that
 influence explicit. This rare recording has only ever been released
-on an EMS promotional record."
+on an EMS promotional record.&rdquo;<ref>[http://delia-derbyshire.net/sites/recordings.php.html delia-derbyshire.org]</ref>
 </BLOCKQUOTE>
@@ Line 30: / Line 29: @@
 sirens: that's a sound you hear and you don't know the source of as a
 young child... then the sound of the "all clear" - that was electronic
-music.</I>
+music.</I><ref>Delia, in the [[Boazine interview]]</ref>
 </BLOCKQUOTE>
@@ Line 56: / Line 54: @@
 * In the BBC Sound Archive on tape [[TRW 7139]]: "I Measured the Skies".<ref name=TLL>The [[Tape Library List]]'s entry for [[TRW 7139]].</ref>
 * Released on promotional LP [[EMS LP 1]], circa 1971.
 {{Play|Music of Spheres}}