Symphony of Science
 | This article possibly contains original research. (July 2020) |
The Symphony of Science is a music project created by Washington-based electronic musician John D. Boswell.
On November 9, 2009, Third Man Records released a 7-inch single of "A Glorious Dawn" for the 75th anniversary of the birth of Carl Sagan.[1] According to Discogs.com, there were a total of 5 different vinyl records produced, including a limited edition 8-inch single given out only at South by Southwest 2010.[2][3]
Music and video
[edit]A Glorious Dawn
[edit]| "A Glorious Dawn" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking | |
| A-side | "A Glorious Dawn" |
| B-side | "(Etched Design)" |
| Released | November 9, 2009 |
| Length | 3:34 |
| Label | Third Man Records |
Boswell's first video in the Symphony of Science series is 3 minutes, 34 seconds long. The video had been viewed 800,000 times.[4]
A Wave of Reason
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The seventh installment, released on November 23, 2010, is about reasoning and skepticism. It is intended to promote scientific reasoning and skepticism in the face of growing amounts of pseudoscientific pursuits, such as Astrology and Homeopathy, and also to "promote the scientific worldview as equally enlightening as religion."[5]
Reviews
[edit]Musician Carrie Brownstein found the idea behind Symphony of Science "quite beautiful and amazing in both its sincerity and aims". She also enjoyed the "hip-hop stylings" of the camera angle on Bill Nye while he is moving his hands around and expressing himself on "We Are All Connected".[6] Writer Nick Sagan, son of Carl Sagan, was impressed with "A Glorious Dawn", giving it a favorable review and stamp of approval. Sagan writes, "John Boswell over at Colorpulse Music is a mad genius, sampling both Cosmos and Stephen Hawking's Universe series into three minutes and thirty-four seconds of pure, concentrated awesomeness... Love it, love it, love it. Dad would have loved it, too."[7]
Columnist Franklin Harris argues that Boswell's videos show that science can arouse the minds of artists just as much as religion and mythology have in the past. Harris calls the videos "art for the Information Age, inspired by science".[8]
New Music Transmission, a podcast who featured Symphony of Science in 2009, gave "A Glorious Dawn" positive reviews and called Symphony of Science as "A thinking man's Pogo", referring to the Australian electro artist who was featured 2 weeks before.[9]
Christopher Jion, of Dirgefunk Records, has praised Symphony of Science saying,
"When I first heard John Boswell's "A Glorious Dawn," it brought tears to my eyes, it was life-changing. The original idea was to release a compilation of space and science-themed tracks from a handful of artists I like (of course, including some Symphony Of Science tracks). But as John kept releasing new Symphony Of Science material it became very obvious that it deserved its own album, and, as it's an ongoing project, perhaps there will be more volumes to follow. This CD is a gift from me to anyone listening who has a passion for music and science. It was paid for out of my own pocket with nothing expected in return. It's free to anyone who'll appreciate its ideas and messages. Dirgefunk Records does not exist for profit Its sole existence is to release material for the enjoyment of myself and likeminded persons. So, enjoy. (April, 2012)"
Jion released a limited edition music CD compilation[10] in 2012 featuring 15 Symphony of Science tracks, listed below:
- A Glorious Dawn 3:33
- We Are All Connected 4:12
- Our Place In The Cosmos 4:20
- The Unbroken Thread 3:59
- The Poetry Of Reality 3:05
- The Case For Mars 4:03
- A Wave Of Reason 3:42
- The Big Beginning 3:00
- Ode To The Brain 3:41
- Children Of Africa (The Story Of Us) 4:00
- The Quantum World 3:30
- Onward To The Edge 3:37
- The Greatest Show On Earth 3:23
- The World Of The Dinosaurs 3:10
- The Cosmic Dance (Mindwalk Remix) 3:08
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Discogs (June 10, 2022). "Carl Sagan - A Glorious Dawn (2009, Vinyl) - Discogs". Discogs.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022. Alt URL
- ^ Third Man Records; Melodysheep (2010), A Glorious Dawn - Third Man Records - 45 RPM Vinyl 8" Record (ft. Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, courtesy of Melodysheep) (South By Southwest) (SXSW 2010) (1200DPI Scans), retrieved July 3, 2022
- ^ "Carl Sagan - A Glorious Dawn | Releases | Discogs". Discogs. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ Sowa, Tom (October 9, 2009). "'Cosmos,' Carl Sagan and John Boswell's YouTube video hit". The Spokesman-Review.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Symphony of Science: A Wave of Reason" Punctuated Equilibrium 1 December 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2010/dec/01/1 Archived 2010-12-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Brownstein, Carrie (October 20, 2009). "The Symphony Of Science". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on October 24, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
- ^ Sagan, Nick (September 25, 2009). "A Glorious Dawn". Nick Sagan Online. Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
- ^ Harris, Franklin (October 22, 2009). "Gap between art, science no longer so wide". The Decatur Daily. Tennessee Valley Printing Company. Archived from the original on October 29, 2009.
- ^ Hunter, Stephen (December 18, 2010). "Featured Artist Profile: Symphony of Science". New Music Transmission. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011.
- ^ "John Boswell – Symphony Of Science from DIRGEFUNK RECORDS". Storenvy. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022. Alt URL
Further reading
[edit]- Arbsjö, Karin (October 28, 2009). "Robotrösten perfekt för forskarremix". Sydsvenskan. Archived from the original on October 29, 2009.
- Gallaga, Omar L. (September 28, 2009). "Carl Sagan Auto-Tuned, AT&T's Network Future And More". National Public Radio.
- Lewinski, John Scott (October 15, 2009). "Carl Sagan Goes Techno Trance With Cosmos Video". Underwire: The Beat Goes On. Wired.
- Lyons, Margaret (October 20, 2009). "Clip du jour: Autotune the scientists". Entertainment Weekly.
- Makice, Kevin (October 27, 2009). "Science Legends Remixed Into Educational Music Video". GeekDad. Wired.
- Shea, Christopher (November 1, 2009). "Judging a book's cover: Carl Sagan, the remix". The Boston Globe.
- "Stephen Hawking 'sings' on pop single tribute to scientist Carl Sagan". The Daily Telegraph. November 9, 2009. Archived from the original on November 12, 2009.
- Wilson, Tracy V. (November 9, 2009). "Q&A with John Boswell, Creator of 'A Glorious Dawn'". FanStuff: The Blogs at HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks. Archived from the original on May 29, 2011.
