EXEMPLARISM IN CHRISTOPHER TIN’S TO SHIVER THE SKY: A PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS OF VIRTUE MORAL THEORY IN MUSIC

Abstract

Christopher Tin’s To Shiver the Sky is an oratorio that explores the history of human flight, spanning from medieval conceptions of heaven to the achievement of landing a person on the moon. Through a multi-lingual choral-orchestral composition, Tin sets the words of pioneering figures in aviation to music, presenting their narratives as exemplars of human achievement. This paper argues that To Shiver the Sky embodies key elements of Linda Trinkaus Zagzebski’s Exemplarist Moral Theory, which emphasizes the admiration of exemplars. I analyze the oratorio through the lens of Exemplarist Moral Theory by categorizing the figures featured in Tin’s work into three types of exemplars: the hero, the saint, and the sage. Each movement of the oratorio is then examined to reveal how these exemplars’ virtues are admired and emulated in the music. Finally, using specific movements of To Shiver the Sky, I propose three formative ideas for developing an exemplarist musical practice.