The pianist/accompanist for the activities of the Choreocosmos School in North America and Australia, Marcia Burchard – who, as well as being an exquisitely refined and talented pianist, is also a gifted composer – has completed recording the music for the eighty-four cosmic dances of the “planets in the signs.” She has made the recordings of the seven planets in the twelve signs of the zodiac available in a four CD Set,
Harmonies of the Starry Spheres: Music for
the Seven Planets in the Twelve Signs of the Zodiac.
Each CD contains recordings for the seven planets in three of the zodiacal signs:
- CD1 – the seven planets in Aries, Taurus, Gemini
- CD2 – the seven planets in Cancer, Leo, Virgo
- CD3 – the seven planets in Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius
- CD4 – the seven planets in Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
The accompanying booklet, Dances of the Starry Spheres: An Introduction to Choreocosmos(purchased separately), gives some background to working with the eighty-four cosmic dances that are central to Choreocosmos.
The music, expressed beautifully by Marcia Burchard’s piano artistry, can be used to accompany the practice of Choreocosmos Cosmic Dance, or simply listened to in enjoyment of the celebration of one’s birthday or that of a loved one, including historical figures. One can dance or listen to the horoscope of the day or the cosmic configurations of significant historical-spiritual events. Listening to these high quality recordings, even as background music, will support one in deepening their connection to the configurations of the cosmos, bringing to expression the language of the heavens. This CD set makes a wonderful, nourishing gift for loved ones as well.
Here’s a note from Marcia about the CDs and the accompanying booklet:
Greetings Sophia Friends!
Music and dancing bring peace and harmony into our lives, and I am pleased to announce that the Sophia Foundation will be having a Summer Solstice sale of Harmonies of the Starry Spheres, a 4-CD set of classical music by the great composers carefully chosen by Robert Powell to accompany each of the 84 Choreocosmos dances of the seven Planets in the twelve signs of the Zodiac. The accompanying booklet that is also on sale, Dances of the Starry Spheres, edited by Rosamond Hughes, contains an introductory overview of Choreocosmos by Robert, music engravings of the opening passages of the 84 compositions, tables of suggested metronome markings and ratios, quotes from Hermann Beckh’s The Language of Tonality, Rudolf Steiner’s “Twelve Moods”, along with instructions on how to work with the CD.
Here are a few ways you might enjoy working with this beautiful music and booklet:
The CD can simply be listened to—without doing any accompanying dance—in the following ways by:
- enjoying the inspiration of the great composers of the classical era whose compositions mirrored the “harmonies of the spheres”
- playing it during meditation or while studying
- making a playlist of your birth horoscope, or those of family members and friends, or great individualities such as Rudolf Steiner or the Virgin of Guadalupe
- playing it during each of the Twelve Holy Nights
Other ways to use the CD and/or accompanying booklet might be to:
- give it as a gift to young people to introduce them to classical music, or give it as a birthday present (the recipient could be told what music to listen to for their sidereal Sun sign, as well as their tropical, and could compare the two and see which resonates with them).
- practice the forms and gestures in preparation for attending a Choreocomos workshop
- invite friends over who have learned the dances to dance with you in your garden
- use it to teach the dances to your students if you are a Choreocomos graduate and no pianist is available
- play and dance to it during gatherings to celebrate festivals or seasonal turning points such as Solstices and Equinoxes
Here’s what a few have expressed about the Starry Spheres CD set and booklet:
“These are worth their weight in gold. As the Choreocosmos facilitator of a weekly group, I was overjoyed to have these resources. I used to spend hours struggling to find the pieces on YouTube or in my old cd collection, and then — if I was lucky enough to find something — even more hours trying to figure out how to fit the movements to what I was hearing. Marcia’s devotion to creating these resources has given me everything I need to make it all go smoothly.”
“My booklet has become dog-eared and the CDs have become ever more dear. During our “Spring Quarantine,” they’ve truly been a Godsend. On Wednesday morning when we would normally be dancing, I queue up the tracks, light my candle and dance through the day’s horoscope. Even done alone, it is a healing practice. Listening to the CDs comes very close to having Marcia right there in the room. She manages to pour so much feeling into the music while at the same time keeping the rhythm so perfectly metronomic for our ease of dancing.”
“I have enduring gratitude to Robert for the creation of an eternally beautiful set of dances matched to equally magnificent music, which Marcia honed and realized so perfectly to fit our purpose, befitting the deep perfection of the Cosmos.”