Sonification
The origin of sonification may lie in tone poems. Romantic composers sought to directly express experiences—such as a summer breeze in a lush garden—through music, as Mendelssohn did in the Midsummer Night's Dream Overture in 1827. More expansive efforts include Richard Strauss's 1886 symphonic fantasy Aus Italien, which seeks to musically render scenes the composer experienced on a journey through Italy.
Contemporary sonifications are based on measured data, such as tides. Composers observe changes over time in the data and map them to changes in pitch, timbre, and volume.
For To the Sun, Chris Chafe used Plasma Density, Magnetic Field, and Distance to the Sun data as a starting point for the tower bells, and Plasma Density and Magnetic Field data for the interactive cell phone choir.
Composition
To the Sun is a composition for Carillon and cell phones. The Carillon carries the main voices, while the cellphones form an interactive choir. Participants can press buttons in sync with magnetic and plasma waves the Probe encountered on its journey. If their timing is right and they catch a wave, their phone will produce sonified sounds of that wave.
The Probe Data
Data from the Probe has been collected and transmitted back to Earth since 2018. Like all of NASA's work, this data is free and open to the public—it is a public good. However, working with it isn't always easy, as it requires domain knowledge and technical skills. Due to the Probe's slow connection to Earth, it takes about six months for measured data to be transmitted, verified, and published. To the Sun's dataset spans from October 6, 2018 to October 27, 2024 and includes 21 loops around the Sun. It is downloadable here, courtesy of Chelle Gentemann and Greg Niemeyer. Every 88 days, the Probe completes a new orbit. While its energy to transmit data will eventually run out, the Probe itself will continue to circle the Sun indefinitely—much like Earth.
Graphical Notation
Most music is notated using the classical five-stave system, but some works call for more flexible approaches known as graphical notation. We opted for a notation that emphasizes timing and dynamics rather than melody or rhythm, allowing the performer to choose the notes. Each performance—like each journey—is unique.
Recordings
We are still rehearsing, and links to performances will be posted here soon.