In the year 1929, October 24th fell on a Thursday, and, ever since, that particular date has the dubious honor of being dubbed "Black Thursday" — for it was on that fateful day that the New York Stock Exchange crashed. A full-blown financial panic ensued, leading to the Great Depression of the 1930s. For many who saw their fortunes wiped out overnight, it must have seemed like the end of the world.

Meanwhile, in Charleston, West Virginia, a baby boy was born on "Black Thursday" who would grow up to become one of America's most original composers. By the 1970s, George Crumb was acknowledged as a masterful creator of impressionistic and mysterious soundscapes, with evocative titles like "Dream Sequence," "Night of the Four Moons," and "Eleven Echoes of Autumn."

Most of Crumbs' pieces are for small ensemble, but he's also composed large scale works, including one from 1977 entitled "Star Child." It's scored a vocal soloist, antiphonal choirs, bell ringers, and a large symphony orchestra positioned for surround-sound effect at various points in the concert hall. Crumb says it traces a "progression from darkness and despair to light or joy and spiritual realization." A recording of "Star Child" was issued to celebrate Crumb's 70th birthday in 1999 — a year, curiously enough, in which the stock market enjoyed an all-time high, just before taking yet another downward plunge!