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Art and technology have always evolved together. Advances in materials have given rise to new artistic mediums and refined old ones. In recent years, experts from various scientific disciplines have utilized their expertise to create innovative music compositions that are unlike anything previously heard. Today, we can experience music composed by, rather than inspired by, nature itself. The harmonies of mathematics and statistics are now as readily available as the works of Mozart. Here are ten instances where science and technology are transformed into music.
10. Seismic Sounds
Every year, around 1,500 to 2,500 earthquakes are recorded in Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park by fifty seismographs. The ongoing seismic activity of the supervolcano there inspired composer and physicist Dr. Domenico Vicinanza to create a one-of-a-kind concert during a conference in May 2023. He developed a computer program that converts the seismic data—usually displayed as needle tracings on paper—into music in real-time. This live music could then be performed on the flute.
The program works by converting the intensity of the vibrations into musical notes, with stronger vibrations corresponding to higher pitches. However, this creative method of composition goes beyond just a musical experiment. Dr. Vicinanza believes it will aid scientists in analyzing the distinct patterns and variations found in seismic activity. He also hopes it will foster the idea that science can be accessible and enjoyable for all.
9. The Wonders of Our Solar System
Seismic activity wasn't the first scientific data Dr. Vicinanza transformed into music. In 2014, he converted 37 years of data collected by NASA’s two Voyager space probes into a musical composition for orchestra and piano. The result is surprisingly lively, with space sounding more like the energetic opening of Jupiter from Holst’s ‘The Planets’ suite or the iconic theme from *Star Wars* rather than the grand, slow majesty of Strauss’s ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra,’ famously associated with *2001: A Space Odyssey*.
Dr. Vicinanza combined 320,000 hourly proton count measurements gathered simultaneously by both spacecraft, billions of kilometers apart. He crafted two dynamic, interwoven melodies that allow listeners to hear the patterns, fluctuations, regularities, and structures present in the data.
8. The Southern Ring and Carina Nebulae
In 2022, a collaborative effort between scientists and musicians led to the creation of sonifications based on images captured by the James Webb telescope. These sonifications were designed to assist the visually impaired in distinguishing the key features of each image. Elements like the location, color, size, brightness, and age of the stars within the two nebulae were translated into sound using predefined musical parameters. The result was two surprisingly different compositions, with the pleasant tones of the Carina Nebula contrasting with the harsh dissonance of the Southern Ring.
The team also composed a third piece inspired by the atmospheric spectrum of the hot gas giant planet WASP-96 b. While their primary aim is to help visually impaired enthusiasts interpret images through sound, they hope that music’s emotional power will attract a broader audience to the discoveries made by the James Webb telescope.
7. Molecules
Sonification isn’t limited to physicists and astronomers; biologists are exploring it too. One such biologist, molecular biologist Mark Temple, discovered that the four bases of human DNA could easily be mapped to musical notes. These short melodies assisted him in identifying patterns during his crucial research on cancer treatments, proving to be more effective than traditional visual displays.
Later, he developed his own software to convert data into sound and began incorporating additional instruments like guitars and drums to turn viruses, hormones, and proteins into music. However, he emphasizes that “musification” differs from “sonification,” with the former allowing for creativity, while the latter focuses on providing clear information without artistic interpretation, such as in the case of heart rate monitors or police sirens. While molecular music may not always be scientifically practical, he believes it can enhance scientific communication. During the pandemic, he collaborated with musician friends to create a rock song based on the COVID-19 virus.
6. The City of Bonn, Germany
In societies where litigation is common, filmmakers often struggle to find music for their projects. The surest way to avoid copyright issues is to create original compositions, but this option is not always accessible. However, it was available to the staff at the University of Bonn. In need of music for educational and training videos, the university collaborated with students studying sound design.
The students had a distinctive method of composing—they ventured out into the city of Bonn, capturing various sounds that could later be transformed into samples. Each student was assigned the task of collecting 20 unique sounds. These included everything from beer bottles popping to birds singing, as well as the sound of a spray can, which were then woven into complete tracks for use by the university staff.
5. A Philosopher’s Brainwaves
“All brains are musical—you and I are symphonies.” This is the belief of Dan Lloyd, who, while serving as a professor of philosophy at Trinity College in Connecticut in 2016, decided to test his theory that brain activity mirrors the dynamics of musical compositions. He collaborated with a local neuropsychiatry research center to capture the brain activity of philosopher Daniel Dennett using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).
He sonified 8,000 3D images of the renowned philosopher’s brain, using familiar musical instruments and scales. He chose this method because he believes humans process and interpret information more effectively when it is presented in a familiar format. He envisions that this approach could eventually lead to the development of an fMRI stethoscope, aiding in the diagnosis of mental health conditions. For now, only Daniel Dennett’s brain is available for listening. How different his profound mind is from the rest of humanity remains to be seen.
4. The Northern Lights
Alaskan composer Matthew Burtner grew up hearing tales of sounds generated by the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. He finally unraveled the mystery in 2021 when the BBC asked him to compose a piece for their radio documentary 'Songs of the Sky,' providing him with a very low-frequency recorder. This device transforms electromagnetic signals, such as those from the Northern Lights, into sound waves that can be heard.
However, the process is not simple. The recorder is highly sensitive, capturing sounds from almost anything, meaning Burtner had to venture far from any human activity. He described the initial sounds of the aurora as snapping and crackling, though unclear. To enhance clarity, he recreated them using electronic synthesizers. Once he could hear them more distinctly, he mapped the sounds to parts for musical instruments. His finished composition, 'Auroras,' strives to sonically convey the experience of witnessing the lights on a clear night.
3. Climate Change
Sonification of data helps people comprehend complex information by transforming it into more familiar formats, such as music, which is often easier to grasp than numbers on a spreadsheet. Therefore, it's no surprise that scientists have sonified one of the most critical and challenging issues facing the world today: climate change.
In 2018, a group of UC Berkeley graduates teamed up with a sonification artist from Stanford to create a musical composition based on 1,200 years of climate change data, specifically focusing on the relationship between atmospheric CO2 levels and global average temperatures from AD 850 to 2016. The music allows people to feel the effects of climate change over time. When visualized on a graph, the data shows minimal change until a sharp rise from around 1700 to the present day.
However, it's difficult to imagine what such a long period of little change feels like, and how dramatic the recent increase has been. Scientists argue that music offers a way to experience time that charts cannot convey. The composition begins gently but gradually intensifies, becoming increasingly urgent until it starts to resemble the sound of an ambulance siren. The creators hope this sonic experience will help people grasp the alarming and urgent nature of their message.
2. Polestar 2 Car Parts
While many enjoy listening to music in cars, cars themselves are seldom featured in music. In 2021, German musician and robotics engineer Moritz Simon Geist set out to change that. He began by building robots using parts from the Swedish electric car, Polestar 2. Each robot either generated sounds or had electromagnetic field changes recorded to create samples for Moritz to use. Both types of recordings were necessary since the car is designed to reduce vibrations, making it hard to capture sounds.
Moritz also focused on capturing sound waves from the car’s electric components to ensure the samples were unique to electric vehicles. He then arranged the samples into an original composition, 'Sound of the Soul,' using the car parts as if they were an orchestra. Additionally, the samples were made available to the public, allowing others to create their own music from them.
1. Lamborghini Engines
In 2022, Lamborghini's sound engineers collaborated with music producer Alex Trecarichi to explore a fascinating question: What kind of music would a powerful Lamborghini engine transform into if it were made into a song? To tackle this, they recorded the vibrations of V8, V10, and V12 engines across their full range, from the low hum of idling to the full-throttle roar.
After collecting the data, measured in hertz, they applied mathematical formulas to decompose the vibrations into musical elements, which were then compared to existing musical compositions. Instead of composing original music, the Lamborghini team curated three 'Engine Songs' playlists featuring tracks that closely matched the sounds of each engine.
