If anyone really knows me, they know my musical tastes are very limited. I hardly listen to any of the “modern” stuff (or whatever you want to call it). Frankly, I find most music today garbage. What I do like is instrumental music, or more specifically, soundtracks for movies and video games. For most of this year, there has been one album I’ve been listening to constantly, one that probably anyone hardly knows about which was meant to originally release a month prior to the popular video game Destiny in 2014.  

Recently leaked in December 2017 and officially released on June 1st, 2018, Music of the Spheres is an album composed by Marty O’Donnell, Michael Salvatori, and -wait for it- Beatles’ legend Paul McCartney. It features an 8-part soundtrack, each track being based on “Musica Universalis,” the concept that each planet, moon, and star in the solar system moves in relation to a form of “musica,” the Latin term for music. The album was also inspired by a collection of fourteen poems called Seven Heavens, Seven Hells; A Sequence for the Spheres, written by Malcolm Guite. These poems were also based on the concept of Musica Universalis. Two of the poems can be read here: <https://www.destinypedia.com/Music_of_the_Spheres>  

As someone who has personally listened to the album too many times to count, I will say it’s amongst the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve ever heard. Each track does not focus on one mood. Each track is calming and exciting but also melancholic, happy, and hopeful (especially in the last track).

Personally, my favorite track has changed quite a bit since I started listening to it. At first my favorite was “The Path” since it gave me extreme chills at certain parts. I’m also a huge fan of “The Rose” and “The Union”, just because of how epic they are. However, right now my favorite is “The Hope”, which is the track that features Paul McCartney’s “Hope for the Future”. It’s a good track to listen to when you want to feel better, or feel encouraged to take on something challenging.

I will say no more as I think everyone should take the time to listen to this hidden piece of composition. The whole album is available on YouTube, or if you really like it, you can preorder The Music of Destiny Volume I on the Bungie Store. This includes Music of the Spheres as well as the official game soundtrack, which is equally just as good.