L’Occhiale di Galileo is a fifteen-minute work in one movement for full orchestra with standard instrumentation. Galileo Galilei’s discoveries of the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn in 1609 and 1610 serve as a source of inspiration for the musical content and structure of the piece. Throughout the work, Walls has transcribed and interwoven musical quotes of lute music by the scientist's brother, Michelangelo Galilei.
Themes:
Through a glass darkly
1609: Medicea sidera (Medicean stars)
1610: smais mr milmep oet ale umibunen ugttauir as
(anagram deciphered: Altissimum planetam tergeminum observavi;
translated: “I observed the highest planet to be triple bodied.”)
Through a glass darkly
UNT/ SMU contest winner. 
