Connections between astronomy and other areas of human culture are easily found in music, where astronomical ideas have found a wide range of expression. The selection of music discussed below is not a comprehensive listing, but just a sampling of some of the pieces that are available on CD's, and that may be of particular interest to astronomy enthusiasts.
To qualify for the list, a piece (or the composer's vision for it) has to include some real science and not just an astronomical term in the title or in a few lyrics. For example, we do not list The Planets, by Gustav Holst, since it treats the astrological view of the planets. And we regret that Philip Glass' opera Galileo is not available on CD and therefore cannot be listed. Nor do we include the thousands of popular songs that use the moon or the stars for an easy rhyme or a quick romantic image. And, while many jazz pieces have astronomy in the title, it is often hard to know just how the piece and the astronomy go together; so we've sadly omitted jazz too.
Download this resource guide for Music Inspired by Astronomy here: PDF
