The Science of Sci-Fi Music, 1st ed. 2020 Science and Fiction Series

The 20th century saw radical changes in the way serious music is composed and produced, including the advent of electronic instruments and novel compositional methods such as serialism and stochastic music. Unlike previous artistic revolutions, this one took its cues from the world of science.

Creating electronic sounds, in the early days, required a well-equipped laboratory and an understanding of acoustic theory. Composition became increasingly ?algorithmic?, with many composers embracing the mathematics of set theory. The result was some of the most intellectually challenging music ever written ? yet also some of the best known, thanks to its rapid assimilation into sci-fi movies and TV shows, from the electronic scores of Forbidden Planet and Dr Who to the other-worldly sounds of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Andrew May obtained a PhD in astrophysics from the University of Manchester in 1982 and is an experienced and versatile professional, with a career spanning academia, government and private industry. Since 2011 he has been working as a freelance writer and defence consultant. He has a wide range of interests and has written both authoritatively and entertainingly on the physical sciences, military technology, British history, science fiction, New Age beliefs and the paranormal. He has recently published Pseudoscience and Science Fiction (2017), Rockets and Ray Guns: The Sci-Fi Science of the Cold War (2018) and Fake Physics: Spoofs, Hoaxes and Fictitious Science (2019) with Springer.

Of the many books on “science fiction music”, this is the only one that looks at the science aspect of the music itself

Gives an insight into the way music is composed, and why it sounds the way it does, in an engaging way that avoids traditional music theory or jargon

Shows the surprising relationships between two disparate styles that arose in the 20th century – avant-garde art music and popular sci-fi movies