This three-movement, thematically cyclical composition began in 2006 with
unused material originally intended for Dr. Thrower's Concerto for Trumpet.
The opening notes of the quintets third movement, for example, were supposed
to open Movement I (entitled Fe, or Faith) of the concerto. With too
boisterous of a mood, however, the music gave the effect of a game show theme
rather than a deeply religious metaphor. The beginning several measures were
filed away, re-orchestrated for brass quintet under the title Cosmology. In
this state it awaited its completion until the concerto was finished.
Geology is a fulfilling pastime. During the time of composition Dr. Thrower
had recently purchased a well-written Geology book with many full-color
photographs. That book inspired hours of one-on-one time between him and his
children, as well as some short Geological hikes in the foothills of
Ahwatukee (southern Phoenix).
The Wu Li Dance, parodying a books title, The Dancing Wu Li Masters by
Gary Zukav, and is the major source of what Dr. Thrower learned about Quantum
Mechanics. Wu Li is the Chinese term for Physics, and is literally
translated as patterns of organic energy. Chinese masters of a discipline
do not teach the subject to their students; rather, they lead the students
to discovery and to further questionsan approach akin to dancing. The use of
all conical instruments (flugelhorns rather than trumpets, and euphonium
rather than trombone) augments the otherworldly affect, and provides a
pleasing contrast to the outer movements to symbolize the perplexing novelty
of what the human race is processing through exploring the new
physics.
Cosmology, or the study of the cosmos, is indeed one of Dr. Thrower's
favorite pastimes. He passively collects photographs of galaxies, planetary
nebulae, human space exploration, planets, comets, moons, and everything else
extraterrestrial. The cover photograph of the 2017 US eclipse was taken by
him. The third movement, "Cosmology," opens with musical pictures
of our life-giving, average-sized, middle-aged, yellow star that we call
Sun, and continues with an aural view of the planets and their moons,
replete with sliding Doppler-esque motifs, with optional slide trumpet and
trombone, that the composer associated with orbits.