Darwin's Passion: An Oratorio

Published February 22, 2009 @ 07:00AM PT

Wonderful: a modern oratorio that acknowledges that spiritual awe can come from contemplating the wonders of nature and science - in this case, the works of Charles Darwin:

An oratorio is a long choral work, traditionally with a theme from Scripture. Think, Handel's Messiah or J. S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion.

The Origin: An Opera-Oratorio, by modern classical composer Richard Einhorn, is, according to Einhorn, a celebration of Darwin's thought and life in music. It concentrates specifically on the writing and ideas in "On the Origin of Species."

This may be the first time an oratorio has been composed on a scientific theme.

[....]The composer said that he had wanted to write music about a scientific subject for a long time. His thoughts turned specifically to evolution and Darwin following an argument with a close friend who believed that "intelligent design" creationism should be taught alongside evolution in science classes.

[...] He remains "amazed" to learn that "anyone could reject or be repelled by this incredibly beautiful, and so obviously correct, theory of life's diversity."

[...] After a year and a half of almost daily composing, Einhorn produced a 105-minute-long work for 150 people, including musicians and vocalists. The music is scored for a soprano, baritone, chorus, orchestra, and Kitka, an eight-woman Eastern European vocal ensemble.
(source: Humanist News Network)

I wrote last month about historian James Loewen's argument that "historical objectivity" requires an emotional appreciation of the events of history as they unfold. Now I'm thinking the same argument applies to science.

Bonus: for science teachers (and anybody else open to a dose of the sublime):

This Flash Evolutionary Timeline by John Kyrk is really one of the most cosmic deeply natural things I've ever seen. It'll make your head explode with wonder, awe, and gratitude - and would be great for classrooms. (Picture it displayed on a wall by an LCD player, older folks, and tell me you're not envious of today's classroom possibilities.)

Here's a clip of the oratorio. Where can I get a CD?
.

Spread the Word

More You Can Do

Get action and news alerts about Education »
Browse top Education organizations to support »
Find out more about Education and what you can do to help »

Comments (4)

Deeply beautiful stuff. Do you know if the Oratorio is going to be released on cd? I would love to have a copy. I'll have it snuggle up close to atheist Verdi's Messa da Requiem.

Posted by SP Greenlaw on 02/22/2009 @ 07:40AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
Reply to thread
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by SP
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
I've been using John Kyrk in class for a couple of years now--he does phenomenal work with photosynthesis.

Posted by Michael Doyle on 02/22/2009 @ 03:34PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Michael
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
OK, I'll take the other side: it seems to me that this type of Oratorio that attributes "spiritual awe" to the work of evolution actually hurts the cause in terms of having evolution be taught as science. Do you really want to compare evolution to a religion when you're trying to explain how science (and NOT religion!) is what should be taught in biology class?

Posted by Mark Pullen on 02/22/2009 @ 03:48PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
Not at all, Mark. Nature inspires spiritual awe. It's nothing new for poetry. If you want to trade the word "spiritual" for "aesthetic" or "sublime," I might meet you there.

And I am suggesting science instruction let that aspect in in order to keep science classrooms from being dull instead of bright....

I see your point, but I guess I see any attempt to point to science as beautiful (strike that: sublime) furthers the cause.

Textbooks fail to do this so much of the time. That flash timeline doesn't.

As for the oratorio - the evolution of classical conventions that it marks is just noteworthy. I don't think this post will shift much more than a few eyebrows here or there, in varying directions.

Posted by Clay Burell on 02/22/2009 @ 05:12PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Like
Reply to thread
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Mark
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply

Add a Comment

For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

Comment

Check Spelling

Email me when there are new posts to this thread
Comment Policy

Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Clay is an American high school Humanities teacher, technology coach, and Apple Distinguished Educator who has taught for the last eight years in Asian international schools. According to law, he's married to his wife. According to his wife, he's married to his Mac.