music of the spheres

American  

noun

1. a music, imperceptible to human ears, formerly supposed to be produced by the movements of the spheres or heavenly bodies.

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music of the spheres British  

noun

1. the celestial music supposed by Pythagoras to be produced by the regular movements of the stars and planets

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Etymology

Origin of music of the spheres

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

Overhead, a stylized starry sky—gold against deep blue—illustrates the Pythagorean idea of the music of the spheres.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Never before has humanity reached out to so deliberately strike such a lasting chord in the music of the spheres.

From Scientific American • Dec. 19, 2022

In Anne Marchand’s mixed-media abstractions, the music of the spheres is a sort of free jazz.

From Washington Post • Sep. 23, 2021

Wallace Berman visualized the music of the spheres emanating from transistor radios, which he printed on a copier machine.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2015

One struck the dead globe, causing it to sing its strange filamental music of the spheres, fragile and high-pitched above the outside noises.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin