Luc Viatour / www.Lucnix.be
Matthew Whitehouse: Corona
Matthew Whitehouse, organ
Casavant organ
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Columbia, South Carolina
On 21 August 2017, portions of the United States experienced a total solar eclipse. Locations along the path of totality were plunged into darkness as the Moon completely blocked the light of the Sun for a brief time.
In this amazing celestial spectacle, the outer atmosphere of the Sun – known as the corona – becomes visible. Corona creates a soundscape evoking the gossamer streamers and majesty of the corona as it surrounds the eclipsed Sun. Strangely, the temperature of the corona is much higher than that of the Sun’s surface. This great puzzle of solar astronomy is depicted by the dramatic crescendo in the center of the piece. Corona concludes quietly as we are left to wonder at the awe-inspiring mystery of a total solar eclipse.
Click here for a South Carolina Public Radio interview with Matthew on Corona.
NASA, ESA, STScI, J. Hester and P. Scowen (Arizona State University)
Matthew Whitehouse: Nebulae
Matthew Whitehouse, organ
Schoenstein organ
Holsclaw Hall, The University of Arizona, Tucson
Recording by Doug Thompson
Nebulae is a musical journey through the process of star formation. The piece opens mysteriously, evoking the dark, cold environment of an interstellar cloud before the onset of star formation. A powerful passage with virtuosic pedal solos suddenly ensues, representing the arrival of a supernova shock front. The shock front blasts the nebula, causing it to fragment and triggering the beginning of the starbirth process. The protostar stage of star formation is depicted by the work’s large, central dance; as the protostar contracts and its temperature rises, the dance grows in intensity and rhythmic complexity. Powerful chords mark the ignition of nuclear fusion, signaling the birth of a star. The work concludes with a dramatic toccata, reflecting both the brilliance of the newly-formed star and the sweeping grandeur of the nebula which gave it birth.
The image above is a photograph taken with the Hubble Space Telescope of the so-called “Pillars of Creation,” an area of active star formation in the Eagle Nebula (M16). The dark, tall structures are columns of cool interstellar hydrogen gas and dust. Inside the columns are embryonic stars.
NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Matthew Whitehouse: Improvisation — Spiral Galaxy
Matthew Whitehouse, organ
Holtkamp organ
St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church, Tucson
Recording courtesy St. Philip’s in the Hills
This is a recording of a live concert improvisation created as part of a noon-hour recital at St. Philip’s in April 2009. The improvisation was inspired by the Hubble Space Telescope image of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) shown above. Audience members were given copies of the HST image, and the organist had a copy of the image on the music stand during the performance of the improvisation.
NASA
Matthew Whitehouse: On Viewing the Island Orb from Afar
Matthew Whitehouse, organ
Schoenstein organ
Holsclaw Hall, The University of Arizona, Tucson
Recording by Doug Thompson
On Viewing the Island Orb from Afar is a reflection on images of Earth from the Moon taken by the Apollo astronauts. These images marked the first time in which humanity was able to see Earth in its cosmic context: a beautiful yet fragile island afloat in the vast ocean of space. The organ’s sustaining power is employed to suggest space; this, coupled with an expansive melody, evokes the wonder inspired by the Apollo photographs. The piece unfolds in a gradual crescendo to the full power of the organ, depicting the Earth rising over the lunar horizon — or perhaps the growing realization that the Earth is an integral part of a far larger cosmos.
NASA, P. Challis, R. Kirshner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics),
and B. Sugerman (STScI)
Myron Roberts: Nova
Matthew Whitehouse, organ
Schoenstein Organ
Holsclaw Hall, The University of Arizona, Tucson
Recording by Doug Thompson
Nova is a musical evocation of a supernova, a colossal explosion marking the death of a massive star. As the piece unfolds, the music becomes increasingly dissonant and restless, culminating in enormous chords representative of the supernova explosion itself. These chords are followed by a mysterious coda in which the highest and lowest notes on the organ are superimposed, marking the dispersal of the star’s atmosphere into space. The above image is of the remnant of Supernova 1987A, which occurred in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way.