Urmas Sisask
Encyclopedia
Urmas Sisask is an Estonia
n composer
.
One of the major inspirations for his music is astronomy
.
Based on the trajectories
of the planet
s in the solar system
, he created the "planetal scale", a mode
consisting of the Musical notes C#, D, F#, G#, and A. Later, he discovered to his surprise that this was exactly the same as the Japanese
Kumayoshi mode, which is also known as the Japanese pentatonic scale
Sisask is a Roman Catholic, and much of what he composes is sacred music.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
One of the major inspirations for his music is astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
.
Based on the trajectories
Trajectory
A trajectory is the path that a moving object follows through space as a function of time. The object might be a projectile or a satellite, for example. It thus includes the meaning of orbit—the path of a planet, an asteroid or a comet as it travels around a central mass...
of the planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s in the solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
, he created the "planetal scale", a mode
Musical mode
In the theory of Western music since the ninth century, mode generally refers to a type of scale. This usage, still the most common in recent years, reflects a tradition dating to the middle ages, itself inspired by the theory of ancient Greek music.The word encompasses several additional...
consisting of the Musical notes C#, D, F#, G#, and A. Later, he discovered to his surprise that this was exactly the same as the Japanese
Culture of Japan
The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America...
Kumayoshi mode, which is also known as the Japanese pentatonic scale
Sisask is a Roman Catholic, and much of what he composes is sacred music.
Some of his works
- Starry Sky Cycle (Estonian: "Tähistaeva tsükkel") (1980–1987)
- Gloria Patri (1988)
- Pleiads ("Plejaadid") (1989)
- Milky Way ("Linnutee galaktika") (1990)
- Andromeda ("Andromeda galaktika") (1991)
- Christmas oratorio ("Jõuluoratoorium") (1992)
- Magnificat
- Missa Nr. 1
- Symbiotic Symphony ("Sümbiootiline Sümfoonia")
- Comet Hyakutake
- Ave Sol
- Missa Nr. 4 op. 46: Christmas mass ("Jõulumissa")
- Polaris ("Põhjanael")
- Veni Sancte Spiritus
- Benedictio