‘when i heard the learn’d astronomer
when the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me
when i was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them
when i sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room
how soon unaccountable i became tired and sick
till rising and gliding out i wander’d off by myself
in the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time
look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.’
(walt whitman – when i heard the learn’d astronomer – leaves of grass, brooklyn, new york, 1855)

score: moon score, light in a dark field.  employing the phases of the moon for the 76 years of samuel palmer’s life.
birth: 5am (approx), january 27th 1805, walworth, london
death: may 24th 1881, redhill, surrey
number of phases: 28 (as per – a vision, the phases of the moon, 1938 w.b.yeats – reissue with the authors final revisions, macmillan, 1961)
key: a minor
time signature: 4/4
tempo: 76 bpm
duration: 77 segments of 4 bars = 308 bars = 16 mins 12 secs
root note phases: no moon, A 440 hz – half moons, A 220 and 880 hz – full moon, A 1760 hz
bass drone: A 110.00 hz
field recording: night woods around shoreham, kent
instrumentation: piano, harmonium, melodica, bells, processing
landscapes: (500mm x 350mm giclee) digital montage – night exposure, ink, ash, chalk, scrafito and graphic elements.

phase intervals
moon number – date/min:sec of shoreham moonrise/note/pitch in hertz

00 – 27/01/1805/05:54/B/493.88
01 – 27/01/1806/10:03/A/220.00
02 – 27/01/1807/21:54/F/1396.9
03 – 27/01/1808/07:11/A/440.00
04 – 27/01/1809/ 13:08/C/130.81
05 – 27/01/1810/no rise/B/987.77
06 – 27/01/1811/09:02/G/392.00
07 – 27/01/1812/16:00/B/123.47
08 – 27/01/1813/03:19/D/587.33
09 – 27/01/1814/10:35/C/261.63
10 – 27/01/1815/19:33/G/1568.0
11 – 27/01/1816/06:56/C/523.25
12 – 27/01/1817/11:38/E/164.81
13 – 27/01/1818/22:52/E/1318.5
14 – 27/01/1819/09:05/A/440.00
15 – 27/01/1820/13:21/C/130.81
16 – 7/01/1821/02:06/G/783.99
17 – 27/01/1822/09:18/E/329.63
18 – 27/01/1823/18:01/G/1568.0
19 – 27/01/1824/21:14/C/523.25
20 – 27/01/1825/10:17/G/196.00
21 – 27/01/1826/21:42/F/1396.9
22 – 27/01/1827/07:17/A/440.00
23 – 27/01/1828/13:02/C/130.81
24 – 27/01/1829/no rise/A/880.00
25 – 27/01/1830/09:03/G/392.00
26 – 27/01/1831/16:17/B/123.47
27 – 27/01/1832/03:10/E/659.26
28 – 27/01/1833/10:39/C/261.63
29 – 27/01/1834/19:29/G/1568.0
30 – 27/01/1835/08:02/B/493.88
31 – 27/01/1836/11:32/G/196.00
32 – 27/01/1837/22:59/E/1318.5
33 – 27/01/1838/09:01/A/440.00
34 – 27/01/1839/13:46/B/123.47
35 – 27/01/1840/01:58/A/880.00
36 – 27/01/1841/09:13/D/293.67
37 – 27/01/1842/18:06/G/1568.0
38 – 27/01/1843/05:53/B/493.88
39 – 27/01/1844/10:16/A/220.00
40 – 27/01/1845/21:37/F/1396.9
41 – 27/01/1846/07:17/A/440.00
42 – 27/01/1847/13:30/C/130.81
43 – 27/01/1848/no rise/B/987.77
44 – 27/01/1849/00:05/G/392.00
45 – 27/01/1850/16:18/A/1760.0
46 – 27/01/1851/03:49/E/659.26
47 – 27/01/1852/10:35/C/261.63
48 – 27/01/1853/19:24/F/1396.9
49 – 27/01/1854/07:21/B/493.88
50 – 27/01/1855/11:43/D/146.83
51 – 27/01/1856/22:31/E/1318.5
52 – 27/01/1857/08:57/A/440.00
53 – 27/01/1858/13:53/C/130.81
54 – 27/01/1859/02:55/F/698.46
55 – 27/01/1860/09:04/E/329.63
56 – 27/01/1861/18:06/G/1568.0
57 – 27/01/1862/08:48/B/493.88
58 – 27/01/1863/10:43/A/220.00
59 – 27/01/1864/20:54/F/1396.9
60 – 27/01/1865/07:16/A/440.00
61 – 27/01/1866/13:38/C/130.81
62 – 27/01/1867/00:17/A/880.00
63 – 27/01/1868/08:52/G/392.00
64 – 27/01/1869/16:14/G/1568.00
65 – 27/01/1870/04:00/D/587.33
66 – 27/01/1871/no rise/B/246.94
67 – 27/01/1872/18:27/G/1568.0
68 – 27/01/1873/07:23/B/493.880
69 – 27/01/1874/11:45/D/146.83
70 – 27/01/1875/23:33/D/1174.7
71 – 27/01/1876/08:40/A/440.00
72 – 27/01/1877/13:51/B/123.47
73 – 27/01/1878/03:21/G/783.99
74 – 27/01/1879/09:13/E/329.63
75 – 27/01/1880/17:04/A/1760.0
76 – 27/01/1881/05:38/B/493.88