Total Solar Eclipse Special: "The Narrow Path"

Cosmophonia

On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across much of North America, within view of millions of people. Most excitingly, the path of totality is coming by Bloomington, Indiana, current home of Cosmophonia! Your hosts have been involved in several music-space events in town, including our very own recital, where we have programmed a number of excellent on-topic pieces. The piece we discuss on this episode is the proverbial one that got away - Stuart Saunders Smith's "The Narrow Path" for two vibraphone players and one orchestral bells (or glockenspiel) player. While our conversation occasionally strays off the "narrow path," we keep coming back to why this piece is a compelling reminder of eclipses and space more generally, including issues of alignment and the twinkly sounds of metallophones.

Our eclipse recital will be on Sunday, April 7 at 8pm eastern time. It will be livestreamed, so you can view from anywhere!

References

Stuart Saunders Smith, "The Narrow Path"

Charles Ives, "The Unanswered Question"

John Cage, "Atlas Eclipticalis"

Music break was "Birds" from Featuring Birds by Quasi