It is common knowledge that the universe we see is composed of tiny particles known as
“atoms.” For much of scientific history, it was thought that atoms were made up of three
indivisible particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Thanks to contemporary advances in physics, we now know that these particles are, in fact,
made up of much smaller particles and that these constituents sometimes behave in ways
that confound what we thought we knew of the physical universe.
In this piece, I have portrayed one type of these subatomic particles, the quark. There are
six types (or “flavors”) of quark: up, down, charm, strange, top, and bottom. These are
differentiated by the type of charge they carry and their masses.
The first movement is “Strange Quark.” This flavor has a negative charge and is relatively
light. Much like the particle, this movement often “behaves” in unusual ways.
“Top Quark,” the second movement, portrays the quark flavor that is by far the heaviest.
Slow and massive, this particle allowed for the study of the famous Higgs boson.
The final movement, “Up Quark,” is light and decays quickly, much like this particle that
contributes to both protons and neutrons.
The universe is indeed a wonder to behold and its scale is hardly comprehensible to the
human mind. And yet, it is becoming increasingly apparent that there exists an entire
“universe” yet to uncover in the most infinitesimal pieces of matter. It is my hope that the
wonder and mystery this inspires be conveyed through this piece of music.
Brandon Nelson 
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