From the alien dolphins in "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (so long and thanks for all the fish) to the whale on the cover of the They Might be Giants album "Apollo 18," there are numerous examples of cosmic-dwelling cetaceans in science fiction and other space imaginings. Even more interestingly, these space whales' cosmic nature is often tied to their musical nature. In this episode, we ponder why this may be, and touch on some of our favorite space-whale-music examples. While we leave the details of several whale-themed musical works for other episodes (see references below), we consider instead the affordances and potential pitfalls of hearing whale vocalizations as music.
References
Roger Payne, Songs of the Humpback Whale
Roger Payne National Geographic flexidisc
Alan Hovhaness, “And God Created Great Whales”
George Crumb, “Vox Balaenae”
Star Trek: The Voyage Home
Fantasia 2000
Respighi “Pines of Rome” recording was by Pierre Monteaux and the Orchestre National de France, available at IMSLPAlien Listening
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