But it is worth noting one reason why so many readers are unable to confront Stapledon squarely. He is too challenging for comfort. The scientifically minded mistrust the reverence in the work. The religious shrink from the idea of a creator who neither loves nor has need of love from his creations. To my mind, this intransigent position is, in fact, the delight of the book and proves Stapledon’s courage. Like his Star Maker, Stapledon inculcates a similar independence in his readers. He is not asking to be loved. He does not love. His work is there. We accept it as we will.— Brian W. Aldiss, from Forward to Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose—Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr 

The next topic this summer examines what happens when a composer speaks using another author's voice. We will discuss the work of two composers who have chosen works of speculative fiction and confessional poetry, both inspired to a large degree by music themselves, to produce results that highlight the sonic possibilities baked into original source material by writers whom the composers find a kinship with, both spiritually and philosophically. As such, we can examine the effectiveness of different forms of expression and compare how ideas can flow between and through them. We will investigate the differences between a composer speaking with a voice from the past versus collaborating with an author's voice in real-time. Ultimately though, the goal is to hear these works with attuned ears and appreciate them as unique and universal expressions. 

This week we will be listening to Star Maker Fragments by Canadian-born composer Taylor Brook (b. 1985). The piece is a reimagining of the influential science fiction novel Star Maker (1937) by British novelist and philosopher Olaf Stapledon. Star Maker, the book, tells the story of a man traveling from his backyard into the sky and out into the cosmos. He experiences multiple civilizations on countless worlds, learns about different social constructs by combining his thoughts with other alien intelligences, witnesses the birth and death of numerous galaxies and species, and encounters a being responsible for it all, the Star Maker. After his encounters, the traveler returns to his backyard with a new appreciation for the beauty of his existence and surroundings. The novel was a thought experiment for Stapledon, who, like Ralph Vaughan Williams, served as an ambulance driver during World War I. Stapledon was a pacifist and a registered conscientious objector, so he volunteered as a member of the British Religious Society of Friends’ Ambulance Unit, an unaffiliated offshoot of the Quakers. During this period, he developed an appreciation of world government, which led to the various philosophical and religious wanderings examined in the novel.

The story imagines various alien societies, some of which are based on music. The Star Maker creates entire universes based on harmonic languages. In some, frequencies equal compatibilities, and beings blend into one another and experience different temporal realities simultaneously. A composer with a propensity for sonic manipulation and timbral experimentation would find a lot to love in such a novel. Combining musical aspects with a philosophical message that speaks to our unique historical moment with a rise of fascism and authoritarianism also seen during Stapledon's time, Star Maker seems like a perfect work to musically adapt today. 

In 2018, Taylor Brook completed a Doctorate in Composition from Columbia University, where he studied with Fred Lerdahl. Other teachers included George Lewis and Georg Friedrich Haas. His music often explores microtonality, a system of dividing a musical scale into segments smaller than the standard 12 semi-tones used in Western music. For Star Maker Fragments, Brook employs acoustic, electronic, and computer instruments to explore various environments and effects. It is an appropriate language to explore a novel like Star Maker that is interested in so many different forms of expression. Brook has stated in an interview that while musicians can perform the piece live, he intends it to be listened to with headphones. Subtle sonic manipulations were used in post-production to tune intervals precisely, overlay delay effects, and alter specific timbres. It is a decidedly “popular” approach to recording contemporary classical music, even if the results are nowhere near as noticeable as on a modern pop album. In the same interview, Brook talks about needing to find an outlet for artistic expression that openly dealt with the political frustrations he felt during the previous American Presidential administration. Star Maker provided the perfect vehicle for him, and like one of the alien races in the novel, Brook merges his voice with Stapledon’s to explore entire universes of possibility. 

Below is a listening map for Star Maker Fragments, complete with timestamps and observations. Consider it as you would an audio tour at an art gallery. The various fragments of text you will hear performed are all direct quotations from the novel. The music often responds to the “narration,” and the overall form includes multiple rhythmic pulses and timbral shifts. Electronic sound effects help set the table, and you enter the piece standing on a hill in an area that anyone living near a large body of water would instantly recognize with its sounds of various flora and fauna. We will eventually return some 45 minutes later to this same hillside.

(0:01) I. Introduction. A deep whoosh with an accompanying impact sets us down in place in a familiar environment. A lighthouse pulses. Overhead, obscurity. We met our traveler, who describes the symbiosis he feels with his partner in the life they have created at home.

(3:38) I. Introduction (cont’d). The overhead obscurity disappears with a metallic bell ringing. Tremolos bring forth a new type of perception. An underlying pulse quickens and becomes noticeable, and we are off into the sky with the Earth shrinking into the distance. Instrumental flourishes of tone and air along with steadily repeating pulses give the listener a sense of increasing propulsion. 

(6:13) II. People of the Other World. A change in timbre brings an oscillating waveform familiar to fans of ‘50s science fiction films. Flourishes cease, and steady, sustained tones help to indicate we have landed on an alien world. A being appears with the music's accompanying clicks, pops, and articulations. Listen for the way Brook accentuates "Spout - Like - Mouth." Articulations, key popping, and other percussive effects allow eyes to blink.

(10:10) II. People of the Other World (cont’d). One of my favorite impressionistic gestures along the way, as the alien world’s socioeconomic structure is thoroughly explored, is when Brook responds musically to a line of text, “a movement…to accept every kind of human flavor,” by raising the established tonality approximately one semitone. Standard Western harmonic theory calls this an augmentation or an augmented interval. One interpretation of this gesture could be that a “progressive” worldview attempts to “augment” social norms by including as many voices as possible. In theoretical language, the opposite of augmentation is diminution. Imply what you will.

(13:20) II. People of the Other World (cont’d). An extended textual exploration ends with the words “tacit consent,” with the music transitioning from multiple threads of different conflicting lengths to a singular line in parallel motion with deep microtonal harmonies—a lovely musical representation of the complexities of compromise.

(15:16) III. Other World Media. This section examines the use of media as a tool for propaganda, splintering the alien society into warring factions. The specifics are described over an ominous, carrier wave/pedal tone which culminates in an observed lamentable reality in which there is “no need to speak…no need to speak…no need to speak.”

(20:30) IV. The Taste of God. Another use of singular pitch references. A distinct voice, reminiscent of Laurie Anderson, appears and seems to find a center and then either falls gently away or rises. Timbres interchange with implied harmonic progression but disappear with the barest hint of echo effect delays. Multiple moments of potential unison disappear as they attempt to come into focus—musical ineffability.

(26.02) V. Stars. A violin cadenza transitions into a section of increased tempo and articulated pointillism. There are multiple filament wisps of melodic solar prominences in various timbres. There is also an extended section of text paired with percussion accents similar to the one used in the section on the first alien world. It is much more extensive though, and helps to highlight the concept presented by Stapledon that stars are living beings with interactive layers of tissues that both reach out into the cosmos and disintegrate into themselves.

(31:04) VI. Musical Universes. Rich textures and elongated melodic phrases represent creatures in an alien universe organized by sound wave propagation. Music becomes intelligence in a universe with a different geometric organization in time. Harmonic progressions are sustained and extended and are even resolved in somewhat traditional and recognizable ways. 

(36:43) VI. Musical Universes (cont’d) A female voice appears. Is this the Star Maker? Perhaps. What proceeds is, to my ears, a lament. This is my favorite section of the work for reasons I will explain during the wrap-up. Bending microtonal ascensions snap into harmonic progressions. Chords begin to fill in, and the lament shifts into a joyful, harmonious satisfaction.    

(40:30) VII. Back to Earth. The reappearance of the Earthly flora and fauna. We are suddenly back home. The folk-like violin timbre puts us back on the hillside from whence we came. Our traveler is suddenly aware of the beauty surrounding him in a place he has always stood. Even as he becomes aware of the inevitable destruction that must be forthcoming, the need to play some part in the struggle becomes even more urgent.

Please exit the ride to the left…

As I mentioned above, the lament at 36:43 is my favorite section of the piece. In Stapledon's novel, Chapter 15 tells the story of our traveler meeting the Star Maker. He witnesses him/her/it at work, creating multiple universes to see how they will grow and play out. The Star Maker then destroys these universes when he either gets tired of them or feels that they have gone on long enough with little care for the intelligent inhabitants of these universes. This dark, dispassionate view of God caused writers such as C.S. Lewis to accuse Stapledon of engaging in "pure Devil worship." Without using the text to spell out this attribute of the Star Maker, Brook flips the switch of awareness and creates a purely musical lament to express the sorrow the traveler experiences upon discovering the true nature of his God. However, the lament transitions to a moment of joy, eventually. Stapledon makes it clear that even though the traveler has witnessed the Star Maker's true nature as a dispassionate, careless being, he still worships him as the creator of all things. He does this knowing the Star Maker will eventually snuff everything out of existence for very little reason, including himself. This section of Brook's work is a powerful example of music taking the lead, without relying on text, and sets Star Maker Fragments apart from other musical adaptations of literary works.