Golden Record

The Voyager 1 probe was launched on September 5, 1977. After grazing Jupiter and Saturn, Voyager 1 hurtled toward the edge of the solar system, destined to disappear into space.

It is currently the most distant object ever constructed by man. It is approximately 17.9 billion kilometers from Earth and is moving away at a speed of 17,056 km/sec. It appears to have crossed the heliopause (the limit to which the solar wind reaches) in 2010, but further analysis is underway to confirm this. Beyond this limit lies only interstellar space, although it remains within our galaxy. On this page, you'll find the constantly updated distances of Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2.

Not everyone knows that, in the unlikely event that Voyager 1 is intercepted by an extraterrestrial civilization, a gold disc (the so-called Golden Record) was placed on board. It contains images, sounds, and music of Earth, as well as messages in all languages and greetings from US President Jimmy Carter and UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, along with instructions for accessing it. The contents were selected by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan.

For Americans (but frankly, I don't know who the committee members were, besides Sagan), the selection is incredibly cosmopolitan. Americanism only emerges in rock, where the absence of (at least) the Beatles, who were already something in the '70s, is conspicuous. Naturally, as far as contemporary music goes, the most you get is Stravinsky.

The list of musical contents is as follows:

Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F. First Movement, Munich Bach Orchestra, Karl Richter, conductor. 4:40
Java, court gamelan, “Kinds of Flowers,” recorded by Robert Brown. 4:43
Senegal, percussion, recorded by Charles Duvelle. 2:08
Zaire, Pygmy girls’ initiation song, recorded by Colin Turnbull. 0:56
Australia, Aborigine songs, “Morning Star” and “Devil Bird,” recorded by Sandra LeBrun Holmes. 1:26
Mexico, “El Cascabel,” performed by Lorenzo Barcelata and the Mariachi México. 3:14
“Johnny B. Goode,” written and performed by Chuck Berry. 2:38
New Guinea, men’s house song, recorded by Robert MacLennan. 1:20
Japan, shakuhachi, “Tsuru No Sugomori” (“Crane’s Nest,”) performed by Goro Yamaguchi. 4:51
Bach, “Gavotte en rondeaux” from the Partita No. 3 in E major for Violin, performed by Arthur Grumiaux. 2:55
Mozart, The Magic Flute, Queen of the Night aria, no. 14. Edda Moser, soprano. Bavarian State Opera,
Munich, Wolfgang Sawallisch, conductor. 2:55
Georgian S.S.R., chorus, “Tchakrulo,” collected by Radio Moscow. 2:18
Peru, panpipes and drum, collected by Casa de la Cultura, Lima. 0:52
“Melancholy Blues,” performed by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven. 3:05
Azerbaijan S.S.R., bagpipes, recorded by Radio Moscow. 2:30
Stravinsky, Rite of Spring, Sacrificial Dance, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Igor Stravinsky, conductor. 4:35
Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2, Prelude and Fugue in C, No.1. Glenn Gould, piano. 4:48
Beethoven, Fifth Symphony, First Movement, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, conductor. 7:20
Bulgaria, “Izlel je Delyo Hagdutin,” sung by Valya Balkanska. 4:59
Navajo Indians, Night Chant, recorded by Willard Rhodes. 0:57
Holborne, Paueans, Galliards, Almains and Other Short Aeirs, “The Fairie Round,” performed by David
Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London. 1:17
Solomon Islands, panpipes, collected by the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Service. 1:12
Peru, wedding song, recorded by John Cohen. 0:38
China, ch’in, “Flowing Streams,” performed by Kuan P’ing-hu. 7:37
India, raga, “Jaat Kahan Ho,” sung by Surshri Kesar Bai Kerkar. 3:30
“Dark Was the Night,” written and performed by Blind Willie Johnson. 3:15
Beethoven, String Quartet No. 13 in B flat, Opus 130, Cavatina, performed by Budapest String Quartet. 6:37

Golden Record If you'd also like to listen to the recordings, go here, then click the probe that appears in the center, and finally the golden disk. An image like the one on the right will appear.

Click the circle on the left at the top, and an application will allow you to access the recordings.

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