Earth Works: Books, Music, and More for our Planet

In honor of our March 13 concert with the Orchestra of St. Lukes, "Earthworks", we have put together a list of books and more to get you thinking about the intersection between music, nature, and climate change. 

Silences So Deep: Music, Solitude, Alaska by John Luther Adams is a meditative memoir about the composer’s time in Alaska, in which he reflects on friendship, music and art, framed by a landscape facing a climate crisis.  But you don’t have to travel so far when thinking about the natural world. It can be easy to overlook the vibrancy of urban environments, but Susie J. Tanenbaum’s Underground Harmonies: Music and Politics in the Subways of New York examines the rich musical history of the New York City subway system, and the complex interactions that make this unique performance space possible. If you’re not ready to play your own music on the subway, you can always reach up at 34th Street. 

This Book Was a Tree: Ideas, Adventures, and Inspiration for Rediscovering the Natural World by Marcie Chambers Cuff provides activities for people of all ages to examine nature and reconnect with the outdoors. Reincorporate the hum of the natural world into your everyday, whether you’re planting basil on your fire escape or make a resolution to stroll through the park on sunny days. 

The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe by Stephon Alexander is an easy introduction to physics which parallels sound waves and gravitational waves and explains how music and science have been inextricably linked since the time of Pythagoras. You can learn more about math and music and physics at the National Museum of Mathematics here in NYC. 

Younger readers can join in the exploration of music and nature in Suite for Human Nature by Diane Charlotte Lampert, based on a composition by Lampert and Wynton Marsalis. This folktale tells of Mother Nature, her creations, humans, and the importance of love. The Music of Life by Louis Thomas is a picture book about finding inspiration in the small details of everyday life, from tweeting birds to tinkling bells. 

Find these books and more in our booklist, Earth Works: Books, Music, and More for our Planet. As you read, listen to our eclectic playlist, earthmusic, to experience songs and sounds spanning across genres and from around the globe. If you’d like to create your own earthmusic, Earth Works: Creating & Experiencing Music and Nature has sheet music and scores you can use with your own instrument or borrow from our Musical Instrument Lending Library. 

For even more creative works at the intersection of music, art, and nature: 

• Aeoulus – Acoustic Wind Pavilion  
• The Infinite Drum Machine  
• Singing Ringing Tree 
• Sea Organ, Zadar 
• Blackpool High Tide Organ