Into the Unknown, The Final Frontier: Music and Science

   There is no doubt that the nature of culture as a whole is that it serves as a reflection of the society in which it is promulgated in. That being said, music, being one of the major branches of culture, also reflects the same trends and values in the same way.

   The immense influence of the period's happenings and environment on the nature of music is clearly seen in the subject that the piece has chosen to portray. The nature of music during much of the Medieval period is characterized by the grand sounds of the Gregorian chant, mostly used in the form of worship. However as the mindset of the people soon changed, so did the nature of the music they created. More modern times of war, such as that of World War II, showed an emphasis on themes of patriotism in their music. After such times, the Cold War, and in the same avenue the race of the nations to get into space, brought about another set of new found interests in space and the unknown that was incorporated into music.

   This interest in the deep, darkest reaches of space is not a new phenomenon. However, due to the pronounced national investment that occurred during the 1960's to 1970's in the field of science and space, such new and interesting cultural innovations were created. In line with that would have been the exploration for the possibility of new life in distant planets. This can be seen in not only the themes of the different movies, like Star Wars, shows, like Star Trek, but also in the music celebrating man's new found frontier, that of the cosmos. In closing I'd like to share one of the songs that can best illustrate this, then trending interest, in the exploration of the world beyond our own, with the exciting possibility of new life that we could perhaps communicate and interact with.

Miguel Augusto A. Racadio
2013-59621
STS THX