From Musician to Astronomer: The Great William Herschel Metamorphosis

Harry J. Augensen

Department of Physics & Astronomy

Widener University

American Astronomical Society

Harlow Shapley Lecture

Oberlin College, 2002 Apr 04

Outline

• I. Early Years

• II. The Musician

• III. Early Interest in Astronomy

• IV. The Turning Point

• V. Astronomical Pursuits

• VI. Life Changes

• VII. Later Years

• VIII. Caroline Herschel

• IX. Herschel’s Legacy

• X. Oboe Concerto No. 2 in C

Early Years

Born 1738 November 15, Hanover, Germany, Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel

Father Isaac was oboist in band of Hanoverian Foot Guards, instructed William in principles of music theory & gave him oboe & violin lessons

William studied French with tutor, Herr Hofschlager, who encouraged him to study science

In 1753 William left garrison school to take position as oboist & violinist in the Guards band

Early Musical Career In 1756, William moved to London and found immediate

employment as music copyist

In 1760, appointed director of Militia Band at Durham, & made important musical connections – Charles Avison

In years 1759 – 1770, most of Herschel’s instrumental works were composed, including symphonies, concertos, and sonatas

In 1767, appointed organist of Octagon Chapel in Bath

In 1780, appointed director of Bath Orchestra

The Musician

• Performer

• Composer

• Conductor

Herschel’s Musical Contemporaries

• Thomas Arne (1710 - 1778)• Charles Avison (1709 - 1770)• C.P.E. Bach (1714 - 1788) • Johann Christian Bach (1735 - 1782)• John Garth (c.1722 - 1810) • (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)• Andre Danican Philidor (1726 - 1795)• Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756 - 1791)

Musical Performer

• Played oboe, violin, organ, harpsichord

• Performed oboe-soprano duets with Sister Caroline

“Never before have I heard the concertos of Corelli, Geminiani and Avison performed more chastely, or more according to the original intention of the composer, than by Mr. Herschel.”

- commentary from Edward Miller on Herschel’s violin playing

Composer

• 24 symphonies

• 3 oboe concertos (c. 1760) & numerous chamber works

• Organ pieces

• Several harpsichord pieces - the only instrumental compositions published in his lifetime

• Numerous anthems & other vocal music

Later concertos & accompanied keyboard sonatas show italianate galante style popularized by J.C. Bach

Cadenzas for Movements 1 and 2 of Oboe Concerto No. 2 in C

Adagio from Oboe Concerto No. 2 in C

Conductor & Concert Manager

• A “true timist” - tempos are to be strictly adhered to

• Sometimes came to blows with performers who disagreed with him

House in Bath

Early Interest in Astronomy

First evidence of Herschel’s interest in sky found in excerpts from his diary for 1766:

– Jan. 7 Concert at Concaster at Sir Bryan’s relations

– Feb. 19 Wheatly. Observation of Venus

– Feb. 24 Eclipse of the moon at 7 o’clock A.M. Kirby.

– Mar. 7 Halifax. The Messiah.

• 1773 Purchased Ferguson’s Astronomy

• 1774 Made first entries into his astronomical journal

Astronomical Pursuits

• Telescope design

• Planetary surfaces

• Sunspots

• Motion of Sun through space

• Double stars

• Nebulae

• Structure of Milky Way galaxy

• Infrared radiation

Telescope Building

7-foot Reflectors

• 6.5-inch diameter mirror

• Used for early star sweeps

• Used to discover planet Uranus

The Turning Point: Discovery of Georgium Sidus (Uranus)

• 1781 March 13 in Gemini

• Made Herschel’s name famous overnight

• Planet ultimately named Uranus

• Eventually was offered royal pension by King George III to devote his time solely to astronomy

• In 1782, Herschel moved to near London, Caroline accompanied him

Herschel’s 20-foot Reflector

• 18 inch diameter mirror

• Herschel made most observations with this instrument

• Lacked clock drive

The Great 40-foot Telescope

• Work begun in 1785 in Old Windsor

• Completed 1789 near Slough

• Impressive, but unwieldy

Charles Messier1730 - 1871

• French comet hunter

• Published list of 103 fuzzy objects which could be confused with comets

• Herschel sought to determine nature of these nebulae

Globular Cluster M3

The Orion Nebula M42

Planetary Nebula Ring Nebula in Lyra M57

Stellar Parallax

Binary Stars

The Milky Way

Structure of the Milky Way

The Andromeda Nebula M31

Observations of Mars

Herschel Discovers Infrared Rays

Life Changes

• Marriage to Mary Pitt in 1788

• Son John born 1792

House at Slough

Musical Visitors

• Herschel’s fame as astronomer attracted prominent musicians to meet him

• In 1791, while touring London, F.J. Haydn visited Herschel’s observatory near Slough and peered through his telescopes

• Haydn popularized Hershel’s symphonies

Later Years

• 1793 became British citizen

• 1802 traveled to France & met Napolean and Laplace

• 1817 was knighted

• 1821 became first president of Royal Astronomical Society

• 1822 died

Caroline Lucretia Herschel1750 - 1848

• Born 1750 March 16, Hanover

• Mother wanted her to become housekeeper, & disapproved of her work with William

• 1772 Traveled with William from Hanover to Bath, where she remained as his assistant

• William taught her English, music, mathematics

Caroline’s Partnership with William

• Soprano soloist at concerts with William as conductor & performed soprano-oboe duets with William

• Looked after William while he spent hours with his hobby of building telescopes

• Recorded and processed astronomical observations for William

• Was deeply hurt by William’s marriage to Mary Pitt, but eventually reconciled

• Returned to Hanover after William’s death in 1822

Caroline’s Astronomical Discoveries

• Discovered 8 comets between 1786 and 1797

• Published her catalogue of 2500 nebulae in 1828

• Awarded gold medal by Royal Astronomical Society 1828

• Died 1848 Jan 9 at age 98

Sir John Herschel1792 - 1871

• Continued in his father’s footsteps as astronomer

• Took William’s telescopes to South Africa to make observations of nebulae in southern skies

• Pioneered use of photography in astronomical research

Herschel’s Legacy

• William Herschel made more astronomical discoveries than any other single astronomer, before or since

• He pursued areas of research such as stellar astronomy and nature of nebulae that were neglected by professional astronomers of his day

• Herschel introduced notion of evolutionary changes in astronomical bodies, and also attempted to find their distances

• Today is considered the “Father of Modern Astronomy”

Excerpt of a contemporary description of Herschel:

• “Dr. Herschel is a man of unassuming manners; a free, communicative, and pleasant companion; and he enjoys that vigour of constitution which is so essential to an astronomical observer in a climate like that of England. It may be hoped, that his name will endure as long as the planetary system, to illustrate which he has devoted his life.”

– Taken from Public Characters, printed by R. Phillips, St. Paul’s Church Yard, London 1801. (Included 71 biographies of distinguished persons.)

Special Thanks to:

• Dr. W. Davis Jerome, Rutgers University

• Dr. Sterling Murray, West Chester State University

• Dr. Owen Gingerich, Harvard University