Introduction

The greatest sense of awe in existence is that gained from a greater knowledge of the Creator. With a larger understanding of who He is, there is a consequent realization of how little we are able to grasp of the magnitude and depth of His attributes. The creation is man's entry point into this boundless quest of learning who God is. He is the author of a universe full of secrets waiting to be discovered--physical laws, complex systems of information that posses both function and beauty--and He is the revealer of those secrets, to those who will explore.

This symphony was written quite simply as a soundtrack for a planetarium show at Pensacola Christian College entitled "Stair Steps to Space." It was, of course then, written primarily to support the content of the show, and strictly conforms to the show's format. Within these bounds, though, the piece takes full liberty in musical expression.

The purpose of the piece, even above its necessary conformance to the show, is to express the wonder of God's creation. It creates a world, shaped in music, in which the listener escapes the distractions of the typical superficial lifestyle, to meditate for a time on the creation and consequently the Creator.

The symphony was written as part of the production of the show in the Fall of 2006.

About the Music

All of the main thematic material for the symphony is found in the 1st movement. An exception is the descending chromatic motive the 8th movement, whose source is much less obvious, but is indeed found before that movement. Can the reader find its source? If one of you clever musicians out there figure it out, leave a comment at the end of this article! (Hey, I can't give everything away.)

Another little secret is that there is a very direct relationship between the overall forms of the seventh and ninth movements. Though not obvious when listening, a simple form analysis on each would probably give it away.

Some of the movements are very short due to the shortness of the corresponding sections of the show. Also, a lot of the material is light in musical content, since, being a sound track, it is to not draw too much attention away from what is being said and shown.

The following is from the author's notes of October, 2007:

The music for Stair Steps to Space can be considered basically a 30-minute symphony, for orchestra and synthesizer (electronic sounds). It is in a loose symphonic form, broken into ten short movements. . . . Both of the primary themes are presented in the first movement. The first theme features orchestra and (synthesized) voice, both providing quite natural sounds. The voice represents humanity and our awe and wonder at God and His creation. The theme includes a counter melody, which is simply a rising diatonic scale, often presented in planing intervals (usually 6ths or 4ths). The second theme, also in the Introduction, features electronic sounds (produced by the Kerzweil K2500). One could look at the symphony in two senses: the first recognizing the presentation and interaction of the two melodic themes; the second seeing the composition as the coexistence of two "themes," or rather two entities: the known and familiar, generally represented by the orchestral sounds, and the unknown and unexplored, that which we wonder about, generally represented by the electronic sounds (not meant to be thought of by the listener as "electronic" necessarily).

I put a good amount of thought into the music. There are a lot of secrets about it, beside that it is in symphonic form. Chances are, only a few people will ever know or care. And probably no one beside myself will know or care about all of the little musical jewels hidden, and not so hidden, in the composition. Probably very few will even listen to the music consciously and cognitively. But it suffices me that the Creator sees my work as an admiration of His handiwork. It is a pitiful work in comparison to any of His works, but it is a small reflection of the beauty in the world and laws that He created, having found its inspiration in this. And the meaning that the soundtrack supports, the wonder of His creation, and the Revealer of Secrets Himself, is most meaningful to me; it was a thrill to communicate it (try) in music.