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The Space Race

In 1961, America was competing with the Soviet Union, now known as Russia, to prove which nation was stronger during a period known as the “Cold War.” The two countries weren’t exactly at “war,” but it wasn’t a game either. At the time, people questioned which country would lead the race to space.

It was then that President John F. Kennedy laid down a challenge: “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”

èßäAVand the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) celebrated the 100th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s birth with a concert honoring his vision and courage to explore the great unknown called SPACE.

The Eagle Has Landed

For eight years, the United States trained astronauts, tested rockets, designed and built equipment, and planned missions. We were not always successful—rockets failed and lives were lost—but each time, they learned from their mistakes.

Finally, on July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 blasted off for the moon with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins on board. Only hours later, Armstrong descended a ladder to set foot on the moon’s surface and declared, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Six million television viewers watched the live event in amazement.

What was it like to witness the first moon landing? Ask your parents and grandparents to tell you what it was like to watch this on live television.

Looking Up!

Just like President Kennedy had a vision for America, composers (people who write or “compose” music), have visions of how they want their music to sound. For some, their musical mission is to explore a galaxy of stars and planets, moon shots, space walks, and galactic battles, through these tools that composers use:

rhythm - long and short notes
pitch - high notes and low notes
melody - the mix of pitch and rhythm
tempo - speed
dynamics - volume

During this concert, you’ll meet a few of these starry-eyed composers who soared to great heights. First up, we’ll lift off for Mars, the Red Planet.

Meet The God Of War

Travel back to 1913 when English composer Gustav Holst (pronounced HOLE-st) looked up in the sky and was inspired to write seven “mood pieces” collectively called The Planets. Each piece represented a different planet known at that time.

Now, Holst wasn’t the first person to look at the night sky with wonder. In ancient times, people stared at the heavens and believed in the movements of “celestial bodies” and their influence over people on Earth. In fact, Holst based his piece about Mars more on the Roman god of war of the same name, than on any characteristics of the “red planet.” When you listen to Holst’s “Mars, the Bringer of War,” you’ll hear those trumpet calls, military rhythms, and clashing harmonies marching us straight into battle.

Profiles in Courage

John F. Kennedy wrote a book of short biographies about eight senators from America’s past who made courageous decisions and performed brave acts. For many others, the call for bravery is never stronger than during times of war. Let’s meet two composers who recognized the call for courage when it mattered most during times of war—one real, one imaginary.

Marching Toward Victory

British composer John Ireland was an extremely careful composer who put a lot of thought into his work. During the dark days of World War II, he was asked by the British Broadcasting Corporation to write a march that might help strengthen the courage of the British people.

Have you heard of Morse Code? That’s the combination of short and long sounds and flashes of lights and electrical pulses used to signal messages—super, secret messages. Well, the SSSL pattern also means the letter V—like in the word VICTORY—in Morse Code. For sure, Ireland used the SSSL motif in his “Epic March” to comfort the British people that they would win the war. (By the way, they did!) Listen carefully for these dramatic four notes repeated throughout the music.

May The Force Be With You

In a galaxy far, far away, a writer named George Lucas created a story about an epic space battle between a bunch of heroes and villains. This was back in 1977, when Lucas cooked up a colorful cast of characters including a dark warrior, a princess, a funny rebel, and a humble farm boy who goes on to galactic greatness.

Even after seven films, the story still continues the themes of hope and inspiration, courage to fight off the bad guys, and working together for the good of all humankind. Lucas’s lightsabers light the way with music that has become almost as famous as the films.

American composer John Williams was asked to compose the music for Lucas’s first film, and many of the series since. Williams came up with the idea to link each of the story’s main characters with a particular theme, or motif. These themes are instantly recognizable by audiences and offer up clues on how to think or feel about a character. And by choosing “heroic-sounding” instruments like trumpets to rally the troops and string instruments to tug at our hearts, Williams tells us when to cheer, when to fear, and when to watch closely and listen well. Listening to the music, you’ll be inspired to soar into battle for what is right and just. And may the force be with you…always!

Is There Anyone Out There?

It is natural to wonder whether other life forms exist in our solar system. If so, how will we communicate with them? How can we tell them about our world, our humanity? Well, think about a traveling time capsule carrying our sounds, music, images, thoughts, and messages. And, what if you placed that capsule on a spacecraft and sent it on a mission that would last forever. Takes vision and courage, right?

Now back in 1977, there weren’t any CDs—yet! So we created a “golden record” containing these sound and visual messages for all those extraterrestrials out there. Imagine this… Voyager I and Voyager II are still out there today ready to meet and greet our galactic partners. In fact, two of the world’s most famous composers are featured on the Golden Record: Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven. Listen to an audio story about the Golden Record:

Art/Space: Voyager