In 1985, Paul Gallagher composed a major work that remains notable in the world of contemporary classical music to this day.

 

As a modern American multi-movement symphony for full orchestra, New Sky qualifies as uncommon. The fact that it was composed and performed entirely in the non-standard tuning known as just intonation makes it a rarity. 

 

Novelty aside, the composition's traditional symphonic structure is bound up with its success as a work of art, even as the music transcends it. Exactly why the composer chose a formal vehicle for a large-scale realization of his tradition-flouting ideas remains unknown, but it is perhaps possible to directly hear how the music's appeal comes from its originality as well as its tie to Western orchestral tradition.

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Its conventional set-up — a coherent progression through four movements differentiated by tempo, texture and timbre — provides the listener with a familiar framework for experiencing the unconventional use of untempered harmony that constitutes the sonic and thematic heart of the work.

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In addition to formal structure, New Sky makes ample use of dynamics and orchestral color as a way of evoking materiality, movement, sensory awakening, and atmospheric expansiveness. In that regard, it stands as a departure from the minimalist-influenced explorations of exquisite but subtle harmonic development that characterize much of the modern just intonation ensemble repertoire.