Carl Sagan (1934-1996), a great American astrophysicist, stated that the Golden Record on the Voyager I spacecraft is not intended to actually fall into extraterrestrial hands, “but [rather that] the launching of this ‘bottle’ into the cosmic ‘ocean’ says something very hopeful about life on this planet.”

However, before it even left our solar system, Carl Sagan suggested to the engineers of Voyager I to take one picture of our tiny planet before it lost complete sight of Earth. As it past Saturn, Voyager I was turned around, and in conjunction with a wondrous accident of physics, took a picture of our pale blue planet, suspended in a beam of sunlight reflecting off of Voyager.

This piece attempts to capture the essence of that photograph: that even though our planet is so small and apparently insignificant, it still contains so many wondrous things. That in this vast nothingness, we give our own inherently meaningless lives purpose and meaning through art, literature, theatre, music, history, science, our experiences with each other, and not least of all, love.

Text By Carl Sagan

P A L E

Often times throughout the day, you hear random assortment of sounds.  This melody was derived from a squeaking gate in the Parking Garage at William & Mary.

It got stuck in my head, so maybe now its stuck in yours.

Piano Trio No. 1 in A Major

For Ellie performed at my Senior Recital, in comparison to my previous performance.

For Ellie 4/23/2011

Still need a subtitle for this.  An exploration of harmony and melody, and what happens when the two don't exactly align.

p i a n o S O N A T A 1

Written for my dear friend, who passed away suddenly.  

He loved to make people smile, sing, and think.

Higher

A solo piano improvisational composition of mine.

Concept behind it is sort of a story.  A pianist is practicing Fur Elise, and then drifts off in thought and mind and takes a short journey, eventually coming back to reality.

Enjoy!

For Ellie

First movement of my second piano sonata. MIDI realization. 

Score: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B97561BNTUplZHRNWG9sNVdZQVU/edit

simondsaid

Popular tracks