BA Bristol & Bath Branch Music of the Spheres |
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BA Bristol & Bath Branch Music of the Spheres |
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Colin Axon and John Barrett
The year 2000 was the 200th anniversary of William Herschel's discovery of infra-red, and the 250th anniversary of Caroline's birth. William and his sister were not only scientists, but were celebrated musicians, and were equally happy in either sphere. These elements have been worked into a play and hands-on activities, which in the first instance was funded through a Millennium Award, and continued through PPARC. After the play, the audience are invited to take part in 'hands-on' activities about practical telescopes, light, sound, and musical instruments.
The
aim is to enhance the public image of science by highlighting the integration
of science with the rest of society and especially with art and music, by portraying
the excitement and emotion of scientific discovery through this 40 minute play
about the lives of William and Caroline Herschel. In 1781, William gained instant
fame for the discovery of the planet Uranus; Caroline was not only his constant
collaborator, but also an important astronomer in her own right. Simultaneously
with their scientific work, including designing and laboriously making their
own telescopes, both were following highly successful careers as professional
musicians: William as a celebrated organist, conductor and composer, and Caroline
as an accomplished singer. The Herschels saw no conflict between the two 'incompatible'
careers - they practiced both and excelled at both, Indeed, their mathematical
and scientific development evolved out of their musical studies.
The play expresses the notions that discovery includes argument, interpretation
and craftsmanship, and that the divide between art and science is artificial.
It vividly communicates the synergy between music and science, through clear
demonstrations of the stages of the Herschels' scientific discoveries, 
and of the seamless nature of their lives as each day they switched between music
and science. The play also emphasises that the Herschels were amongst the first
to use what would today be called 'the scientific method'. Carefully constructed
dialogue and music, demonstration of scientific and musical equipment, hands-on
audience participation, and many opportunities for comedy have been combined
to show that the excitement of discovery of each part of the scientific jigsaw
was very similar to the feelings Herschel experienced as he wrote and performed
his musical compositions.
More than a century before Marie Curie, Caroline Herschel herself forged a significant career as an astronomer. Her individual scientific contributions were recognised by awards from George III amongst others, and she became the first female member of the Royal Astronomical Society. Portraying Caroline's achievements conveys a modern message about equality in the laboratory, scientific creativity, and society as a whole.
The
cast are drawn from the Saltford Drama Club, who have benefited immensely from
the opportunity to develop and extend their range of skills and experience
of acting an entirely new type of material. The actors and the stage management
staff have been exposed to a variety of scientific ideas and the problems in
communicating them. This includes developing skills as facilitators of 'hands-on'
activities, both scientific and musical. Examples include 'the bucket microscope',
cut-away telescopes, useable 'drainpipe' telescopes, waves on a string, pipes
to show octaves, a range of ray optics experiments, a giant solar system jigsaw,
pull apart eyes and ears, tin can telephones, and an orrery. They were often
'home-made' from materials easily available which has given people the sense
that they could try things themselves.
The Herschels are 'local heroes' for us in Bristol and Bath - many of the performances so far have been close to home, and have been in a variety of venues: community halls, St. Mary Redcliffe Church, in the open at Green Park Station (Bath) as part of the National Science Week festival held there, the Bath Royal Scientific and Literary Institution; at a joint meeting of the Bristol Astronomical Society, the West of England Branch of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and the South Western Branch of the Institute of Physics held at the Physics Department at University of Bristol; and 3 performances in the theatre of Explore@Bristol.
In addition, we have been able to mount performances further afield. We have been to the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory at Didcot, Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, and The Royal College of Art in London.
Success so far has been measured on two levels: through press and radio coverage in the local media, and through the size of the audiences together with their reaction. The indoor public performances have been followed by discussions and/or workshops during which members of the audience have given comment, on have filled in evaluation forms. Analysis of these showed that 93% said that the performance was either 'very good' or 'excellent'. Further written comments included: 'very impressed by content and execution', 'put life and achievements of William and Caroline over in a very vivid and interesting way', 'excellent idea, well executed and received', 'magnificent!', and 'significantly moves forward the public appreciation of science'.
The
play was designed so that all of the scenery, props, and hands-on kit will
pack into a small van. Further, it is possible to give street and school performances
without the aid of lighting and only minimal sound equipment. 
However, evening and some indoor performances (depending on venue) do require
the use of some basic stage equipment. Ultimately, we see future developments
of the play lying in bringing theatre professionals on-board. This is because
the current cast are amateurs, and therefore daytime performances during the
week are virtually impossible, which means that taking the play into schools
is not feasible. In this coming year we will investigate ways forward here.
Firstly, we will continue discussions with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School,
exploring the possibility for the play being used in their regular curriculum
of taking drama to local schools. Each year the play would be performed by
a new group of theatre students, who would add valuable new experience and
approaches to their portfolios, and gain exposure to science they would not
get elsewhere. Another way may be to train a group of professional actors who
can be brought together for occasional short tours. The practicalities and details need to be explored this year with a view to making firm arrangements
in 2002.
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