SYMPHONY No.1 - SUPERMASSIVE (20xx)

Symphony ​for Symphonic Winds & Percussion
Duration Approximately XX:XX
Grade 6

FULL SCORE / 2 (+Picc) 2 2 3 (+Bass, Contra Alto, Contra Bass) Alto (2), Tenor, Bari / 4 3 3 1 1 / Timp Perc (5)

I. QUIET REGION
II. ERGOSPHERE
III. EVENT HORIZON
​IV. SINGULARITY

Commissioned by The Grand Ledge Wind Symphony, John Szczerowski, Conductor
​
"Messier 87" is a supergiant elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo, and is one of the most massive galaxies in the local universe. At the center of this galaxy is the only supermassive black hole ever imaged, whose mass is on the order of billions of times the mass of our Sun. Having undergone gravitational collapse, the M87* supermassive black hole is a region of space from which nothing can escape.

Black holes are some of the strangest and most fascinating objects in outer space. They're extremely dense, with such strong gravitational attraction that even light cannot escape their grasp if it comes near enough. Albert Einstein first predicted the existence of black holes in 1916, with his general theory of relativity. The term "black hole" was coined many years later in 1967 by American astronomer John Wheeler. After decades of black holes being known only as theoretical objects, the first physical black hole ever discovered was spotted in 1971. 

As celestial objects fall into the gravitational pull of the dying star, very strange things begin to happen to time and space. These phenomena continue to fascinate and inspire us as we endeavor to understand our infinitely complex, beautiful, and terrifying universe.