Mindful Minute: Symphony of Science inspires

November 10, 1:33 PMHouston Humanist ExaminerDT Strain

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Scene from "We Are All Connected".
(c) PBS.

I've recently become aware of the wonderful work of musician John Boswell, thanks to a tweet from the American Humanist Association's twitter page (americnhumanist). Boswell is currently engaged in what he calls Symphony of Science. In this project, he writes pieces of music and applies as lyrics the interesting and inspiring quotes from scientists such as Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, and Stephen Hawking. He uses their original voices but alters the pitch to be melodic with the music. It's not meant to be a realistic simulation of singing, but has an electronic pitch to it, which is fitting for the slightly techno-style musical backdrop - reminiscent of the technological, and thus the scientific.

What is so great about Boswell's work is not the technical aspects, but how he uses music to communicate the awe at the topics being discussed. In his renditions, Boswell captures the feel one can have listening to scientists such as these. The profound experience we can have as we explore the wonders of the universe are stunning and it is refreshing to see music like this capture it emotionally. Surely, this will be an excellent tool in communicating the beauty of the universe as revealed by science.

See video: A Glorious Dawn
See video: We Are All Connected

You can learn more about Boswell's project at www.symphonyofscience.com as well as sign up to his mailing list, download MP3s of these songs, and contribute your support for the project. Let's hope he creates more!

This is my spirituality...

We Are All Connected

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This has been a Mindful Minute - short informal daily posts which fall between the main articles (longer and more formal) for Houston Humanist Examiner. To learn more, see the first Mindful Minute [link] or, click [here] to see a list of all Mindful Minutes. Be sure to subscribe to receive notices of main articles as they appear!