Behind the Screen

Imagine that you are in church for an evening service, say, Christmas Eve. The Gospel procession is over, and everyone has settled in for the sermon. It's going to be a while before the next bit of music. The organist makes a mad dash out the door to a telescope set up in the courtyard, and starts sweeping the sky in search of comets.

The scenario is not that far from reality. During the 18th century, William Herschel was a professional musician and an amateur astronomer torn between his two interests. During the course of a concert, if he was not needed for a particular piece of music, he would indeed run outside to scan the skies. In 1782, at the age of 44, Herschel abandoned his career in music to become a professional astronomer.

I understand Herschel's dilemma. I've had a life-long passion for music and astronomy and often feel the two of them tugging at me. It is not unusual to have an interest in science as well as the arts.

Leonardo daVinci is an obvious example. I am certainly not in the same league as someone like Leonardo daVinci, but no matter what the level of expertise, artists and scientists are searching for answers to the same questions. The insight with which the scientist, like the artist, tries to see into nature is both imaginative and creative. Science tries to find order and meaning in our experience, and the same can be said of art. They both have a sense of personal exploration, and the same sense of pride and discovery in understanding the universe and the human condition.

As a musician, William Herschel was gifted. As an astronomer, he was a genius. Few musicians have heard of Herschel, but astronomers think of him as the greatest observational astronomer of the 18th century. Herschel was born in Hanover, Germany on November 15, 1738, into a musical family. His father played the hautboy (an early design of the oboe) and was the bandmaster of the Hanoverian Foot Guards. Herschel played a variety of instruments with great ability, and by 14 was proficient enough at the oboe to join his father and elder brother in the Foot Guards.

In 1756 (the year of Mozart's birth), Herschel emigrated to England and found a job as a music copyist. In 1760 he was appointed director of the Durham Militia Band. He was a productive composer during these years, writing symphonies, concertos and sonatas. In 1766 Herschel was appointed organist of the Octagon Chapel in Bath. In addition to his duties as organist, he played the violin in the Bath orchestra and appeared as soloist in several of his own concertos for oboe.

It was during this time period that he was drawn more and more by his interest in astronomy. He discovered the planet Uranus in 1781, and that launched him to worldwide fame. King George III offered him an annual pension, provided that he devote all of his time to astronomy. Herschel's last professional musical appearance was at the Octagon Chapel on June 18, 1782. People remember Herschel for his discovery of Uranus, but it is for his discoveries of the nature of double stars, clusters, nebulae, and the Milky Way that astronomers remember him.

A few years ago I visited the Adler Planetarium in Chicago to see an exhibit on William Herschel. In the background, they played a recording of Herschel's harpsichord sonatas. I decided as a professional musician and an amateur astronomer, I must play Herschel's harpsichord and organ works. This is not a simple matter of running to the local music store and picking up the music. None of his music is in print, and that started a quest--almost an obsession-to find his keyboard works. The Internet has enabled me to contact libraries, astronomers and musicians all over the world. I haven't found his music yet, but I'm close. An editor of Sky and Telescope magazine sent me information on the William Herschel Society in England, and if they can't help me, no one can. I can't talk to William Herschel about his great love of the cosmos and music. But maybe by playing his music I can get an inkling of his thoughts and soul.

The choir director almost had a mutiny on her hands recently. The choristers in our St. Cecilia Choir are reaching that age when prominence (standing out in any way) is something to be avoided at all costs. Singing with the younger children in the St. Nicholas Choir qualifies as standing out. The older singers say they want to be a "real" choir. That means singing behind the screen and wearing vestments. So beginning this fall, we will train the St. Cecilia Choir to participate fully in our liturgy. It is thanks to the generosity of the Budget Helper Shop that the singers will have vestments this fall. The children are excited about getting vestments, and I am grateful to the Budget Helper Shop for making this possible. If your child plans to sing in St. Cecilia this fall (2nd through 7th grades) I need height and chest measurements as soon as possible.