Posts tagged carl sagan

I rarely bring up the topic of science in casual conversation.  I’m paralyzed by my inability to deliver the awe-inspiring realizations that seem to come so fluently from scientists like Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson.  It seems the simplest explanations can be the most elegant.  I’m not a scientist, but when I read a book like Pale Blue Dot, there are some things I do share with the author, his enthusiasm and excitement as he takes me on a expedition beyond our galaxy.  But how do we convey this invigoration to others who are not rushing out to pick up a copy Cosmos?

John Boswell

John Boswell, Composer of the growing music and video series Symphony of Science, may have figured it out. Each composition ignites the emotion many of us felt when we were first awakened to the vastness of our universe. Boswell uses words spoken from the mouths of our most influential scientists, and transforms them into melodic lyrics set to addicting musical arrangements. In this interview I asked Boswell about his inspiration and the future of the project.

Myles: Who inspired you to take an interest in science?

JB: Carl Sagan, without a doubt, is largely responsible for my continued fascination with science. I discovered him at a time when I was deeply interested in philosophical questions about the universe, reality, and all that good stuff. In high school I wasn’t initially interested in science, mainly because the teachers were too regimented and dry; the exception was my junior year biology teacher introducing me to David Attenborough. After taking a number of science and philosophy electives in college I was entranced… particularly by my astronomy class, and that led me to finding Carl Sagan’s Cosmos my sophomore year, which I immediately fell in love with.

Myles: What is it about Sagan that makes him captivating?

JB: He doesn’t just give you the facts as revealed by the scientific method, he talks about them in a personal and meaningful way that seems to reach people on a deeper level than most other scientists. 

Myles: Astronomy is the driving force behind your first three songs. Why do you find this particular science fascinating?

JB: I find all fields of science fascinating, they give us a new perspective on ourselves. But astronomy is particularly awe-inspiring to me because it does so on the grandest scale, and provides an endless amount of food for thought. I was into space as a kid, but I heavily rekindled that interest once I was old enough to appreciate the size, age and scope of the cosmos on a new level.

Myles:  What is your creative process and what kind of technology goes into it?

JB: The instrumentals for the songs are composed in Reason 4.0, which is the first step. I then start tuning speech clips using a program called Melodyne, and inserting them into the song to see if it’s a fit. I sift through a lot of videos for elegant precise quotes that are spoken with passion and clear emphasis. I throw away a lot of clips I initially tend to use, because they don’t end up sounding right. It’s mostly a guess-and-check process. Once I collect enough similarly-themed speech clips that work with the song, it’s on to the video editing, which is done entirely in Sony Vegas.

Myles: Do you collaborate with anyone on this project?

JB: I get feedback from close friends who are also musicians, but the compositions and video edits are all done myself.  I have considered doing some collaboration recently, so there may be featured artists on future tracks, but nothing for certain at this point.

Myles: Have you considered making other sciences the focus in your music, such as Biology / Evolution?

JB: You are right on the money. I have focused mostly on astronomy for my first three videos, but I am looking to expand into new fields, and my next pick will be biology.  There are of course many suitable scientists to use for this field but I am looking to incorporate one of my favorites, not a scientist per se but an amazing individual, David Attenborough.  Of course Carl Sagan will be making an appearance as well, as he has a fair amount to say about the subject.

Myles: Your first song – A Glorious Dawn – has been released on a special 7” vinyl by Jack White’s record company Third Man Records. What do you see for Symphony of Science going into the future?

JB: I hope to put out a series of at least 10 videos, but rights issues are the only [obstacles] on the horizon in terms of a CD or DVD release.  I have been through the hoops for A Glorious Dawn’s single, but the later entries have used more varied footage and thus it would be much harder to clear the copyright hurdles. I am optimistic though, and hoping that nobody comes knocking at this point in the project with complaints.

At the time of this writing. John’s Videos have generated around 3.5 million views on YouTube. View the growing Symphony of Science project at www.SymphonyOfScience.com