ALEX STOPA PALE BLUE DOT for

solo marimba

Program Notes

In 1990 an incredible portrait of planet Earth was captured by the Voyager 1 spacecraft. Taken from a distance of four billion miles, the photograph shows our home planet, Earth, as a tiny point of pale light, barely visible in the enormity of space. The image is at once humbling and awe-inspiring, highlighting the fleeting nature of human existence in the vastness of our universe.

Accompanying the image of this “pale blue dot” is an extraordinary quote from American astronomer Carl Sagan (extended quote available online at the Planetary Society’s website). Some thirty years later, as civilization places ever-increasing demands on our planet, Sagan’s message of compassion and preservation resonates with an even greater urgency.

Alex Stopa

Performance Notes

Repeated sextuplet rhythms need not be strictly metronomic; performers are encouraged to use rubato as desired throughout the work. Suggested stickings are based upon the permutation 1-2-3-4-3-2. However, other permutations may also work (for example, 1-3-2-4-2-3).

Close attention should be paid to voice leading. Melodic notes and harmonic motion should be highlighted whenever possible, in much the same way that one might approach playing a chorale.

There are some hairpins with no ending dynamic marking—this is to allow the performer freedom of interpretation in terms of volume and expression.

Pale Blue Dot was commissioned through a consortium organized by Dr. Jeffery Crowell. The following people contributed to the consortium:

• Dr. Jeffery Crowell

• Josh Hartwell

• Shane and Chelsea Jones

• Dr. Rachel Julian

• Luke Kestner

• Paul Schmidt

• Olivia Sletteland

• Adam Walton

• Glenn Webb

• Dr. Andrew Wiering

• Sean Woodmansee

• Brittany Zold

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