Astrolabe

The astrolabe is an astronomical device used to solve problems relating to time and the position of the celestial bodies in the sky. It was the primary astronomical education tool of ancient times, and as such astrolabes were fashioned by various cultures around the world for both scientific and astrological purposes. Aesthetically, the astrolabe was regarded as a symbol of the universe and as an object of great beauty. Astrolabe seeks to interpret the mystical and scientific properties of the device and to consider the implications of time and positioning in musical space. Over the course of the work, several disparate musical elements are combined in new ways, each time with shifts in texture and mood, in much the same way as the moving components of the astrolabe are manipulated to solve for solutions to astronomical problems. The mystical and supernatural properties of the astrolabe, which date back to its early history as an instrument of astrology and divination, are reflected in musical passages incorporating the players’ voices. The text is compiled out of three public domain sources: star names from constellations of the zodiac, excerpts from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Treatise on the Astrolabe, and Walt Whitman’s poem “Kosmos.” Untrained voices and text are employed to convey the dramatic intensity of the symbolic forces represented by the astrolabe, and to further the expressive potential of the musical textures in which they interact.