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What, though, is to stop scientists from turning
their observations into music? Some modern scientists are doing just
that - experimenting with turning their silent data into musical sounds.
Scientific data tends to show mathematical patterns, whether to do
with the structure of atoms or with the radio waves that pulse through
space.
Some of the results are available on the World Wide Web, particularly
the 'sonifications' produced by American scientist Marty Quinn.
- Climate Symphony, perhaps his most accessible work, is based
on data derived from an ice core - a sample of ice drilled from
the Arctic.
Changes
in the atmosphere over the past 110,000 years are reflected
in the chemical composition of this core. Quinn then assigns
sounds to specific data. You can find out more about Quinn
and his work at:
http://www.quinnarts.com/srl/index.html
What do you think about it?
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Scientist with ice core sample in the Arctic |
- Other 'sonification' experiments by Quinn include
- Solar Songs, using data collected for observations of the
Sun
http://atlas.sr.unh.edu/tof/Outreach/music.html
The music files are quite big - between 2.6 and 14Mb each -
but you can listen to a lower quality (280k MP3) version of
one of the tracks here.
- A 'sonification' of data concerning sea surface temperature
changes in the Pacific from 1868-1997 (see the 'quinnart.com'
link above).
- Dr Linda Lang, a biochemist, generates music from protein molecules
in plants. If you want to hear what the proteins produced by mustard,
parsley and clover sound like, then visit her site: http://www.molecularmusic.com/
Next Chapter
Introduction
Music Imitating Nature - Composers
& Birdsong - But is it Music?
Music of the Spheres - Science
& Music - Does Nature Sing?
To Think About and Do
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