Godwin Joscelyn (ed.) The Harmony of the Spheres. A Sourcebook of the Pythagorean Tradition in Music

Inner Traditions International, 1992. — 512 p.Professor of Music at Colgate University and a widely respected musicologist, Godwin traces the history of the idea, held since ancient times, that the whole cosmos, with its circling planets and stars, is in some way a musical or harmonious entity. The author shows how this concept has continued to inspire philosophers, astronomers, and mystics from antiquity to the present day.
Contents
✦
Preface and Acknowledgments xi
I ✦ CLASSICAL
1 ✦ Plato 3
Timaeus: Creation of the World-Soul
2 ✦ Pliny, the Elder 7
Natural History: Pythagorean planet-tones
3 ✦ Nicomachus of Gerasa 9
Manual of Harmonics: Planet-tones and proportions
4 ✦ Theon of Smyrna 16
Mathematics Useful for Understanding Plato: Planet-tones
5 ✦ Ptolemy 21
On Music: Harmonics and astronomy
6 ✦ Censorinus 40
On the Day of Birth: Harmonics, embryology, planets
7 ✦ The Hymns of Orpheus 46
Orphic Hymn to Apollo
v
vi the harmony of the spheres
8 ✦ Saint Athanasius 48
Against the Heathen: The cosmic lyre
9 ✦ Aristeides Quintilianus 51
On Music: Music and the descent of the soul
10 ✦ Calcidius 60
Commentary on the Timaeus: World-Soul and universal harmony
11 ✦ Macrobius 64
Commentary on the Dream of Scipio: Planetary music
12 ✦ Proclus 71
Commentary on the Republic: Sirens and Muses
Commentary on the Timaeus: Division of the World-Soul
13 ✦ Boethius 86
The Principles of Music: Stars and Strings
II ✦ MEDIEVAL
14 ✦ H unayn 91
Maxims of the Philosophers: Aphorisms on music
15 ✦ Aurelian of Réôme 99
Musica Disciplina: Modes and planets
16 ✦ John Scotus Eriugena 104
Commentary on Martianus Capella: Planet-tones
17 ✦ Regino of Prüm 109
Letter on Harmony: Planet-tones, psychology
18 ✦ The Ikhwan al-Safa’ (Brethren of Purity) 112
Epistle on Music: Principles of music; Instrument symbolism;
Astronomy
19 ✦ Al-Hasan al-Katib 119
The Perfection of Musical Knowledge: Resemblance of soul, music,
and the celestial sphere
20 ✦ Anonymous of the Twelfth Century 123
“There is a concord of planets... ”: Poem on planets and tones
21 ✦ Isaac ben Abraham ibn Latif 126
The King’s Treasures: Music as a liberal art
22 ✦ Jacques de Liège 128
Speculum Musicae: Musica mundana
23 ✦ Ugolino of Orvieto 141
Declaratio Musicae Disciplinae: Musica mundana
24 ✦ Giorgio Anselmi 145
De Musica: Planet-tones, angels
25 ✦ Isaac ben Haim 152
The Tree of Life: Music between heaven and earth
III ✦ RENAISSANCE
26 ✦ Marsilio Ficino 163
Letter on Music to Domenico Benivieni
27 ✦ Ramis de Pareja 170
Musica Practica: Modes, planets, temperaments
28 ✦ Pico della Mirandola 175
Fourteen Pythagorean Conclusions: Ratios of parts of soul
29 ✦ Franchino Gafori 177
De Harmonia Musicorum Instrumentorum Opus: Muses, soul- and
sphere-music, number
30 ✦ Francesco Giorgi 185
Harmonia Mundi: Timaeus numbers; macrocosm and microcosm
31 ✦ Heinrich Glarean 196
Dodecachordon: Muses and tones
32 ✦ Gioseffo Zarlino 205
Institutioni Harmoniche: Musica mundana
33 ✦ Jean Bodin 214
Colloquium Heptaplomeres: Universal harmony
IV ✦ BAROQUE
34 ✦ Johannes Kepler 221
Mysterium Cosmographicum: Planetary aspects and intervals
Harmonices Mundi: Planet songs
35 ✦ Robert Fludd 236
Utriusque Cosmi Historia: Music of spheres and elements; Harmony
of soul and body
36 ✦ Marin Mersenne 250
Harmonie Universelle: Metaphysics of the unison
37 ✦ Athanasius Kircher 263
Musurgia Universalis: Musical experiments; Harmonies of the
planets and their satellites
38 ✦ Angelo Berardi 286
Miscellanea Musica: Kabbalistic music
39 ✦ Andreas Werckmeister 292
Hodegus Curiosus: Allegory of Creation
V ✦ ENLIGHTENMENT AND ROMANTICISM
40 ✦ Isaac Newton 305
Draft Scholia for the Principia: Ancient heliocentricity revealed
41 ✦ Jean-Philipp e Rameau 309
Traitй de l’harmonie: Mathematical basis of music
Nouvelles rйflexions: Universal principles of the arts
42 ✦ Giusepp e Tartini 314
Trattato di Musica: Music and geometry
Scienza Platonica: Rediscovery of ancient harmonic wisdom
Chapter Title ix
43 ✦ Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin 322
Des erreurs et de la vйritй: Metaphysics of the common chord
44 ✦ Johann Friedrich Hugo von Dalberg 335
Polyhymnia: Music as a gift from Zeus
45 ✦ Arthur Schopenhauer 338
The World as Will and Idea: Nature and symbolism of music
46 ✦ Fabre d’Olivet 344
La Musique expliquйe: Ancient musical cosmology
La Vraie maзonnerie et la cйleste culture: Metaphysics of the
musical system
47 ✦ Alphonse Toussenel 356
L’Esprit des bкtes: Fourier’s cosmology
48 ✦ Peter Singer 362
Metaphysische Blicke in die Tonwelt: Analogy of tone-world
with the Godhead
49 ✦ Albert von Thimus 370
Die harmonikale Symbolik des Alterthums: Pythagorean table;
Ancient heliocentricity
50 ✦ Isaac Rice 382
What Is Music? Space and Time; Tone and Color
51 ✦ Saint-Yves d’Alveydre 395
La Musique: Music’s eternal principles
52 ✦ Azbel 399
Harmonie des mondes: Modern astronomy and harmonics
Notes 403
Bibliography 477
Index Nominum 483
Index Rerum 489
From the Inside Flap
MUSIC / PHILOSOPHYThe concept of the “Harmony of the Spheres” has fascinated inquiring minds for many centuries. Godwin’s sourcebook traces the history of this idea that the whole cosmos, with its circling planets and stars, is in some way a harmonious or musical entity. Beginning with the creation myth from Plato’s Timaeus, the author shows how this concept has continued to inspire philosophers, astronomers, and mystics from antiquity to the present day.Jewish, and Muslim sources, Joscelyn Godwin’s anthology offers a rich fount of inspiration to poets and musicians, scientists and occultists. More than half of the fifty two texts have been translated into English for the first time from Latin, French, German, and Italian, including long passages on the subject of cosmic music from the Venetian Kabbalist Francesco Giorgi; the great Renaissance philosophers Kepler, Fludd, Mersenne, and Kircher; the German Pythagoreans Peter Singer and Albert von Thimus; and the rich esoteric tradition of modern France. All the passages are accompanied by introductions and notes explaining terms, clarifying concepts, and suggesting further reading. An extensive bibliography and indexes are also included. Harmony of the Spheres is an essential resource for anyone with a serious interest in the spiritual dimensions of music.Musician, scholar, and professor of music at Colgate University, Joscelyn Godwin is the author of numerous books, including Harmonies of Heaven and Earth: The Spiritual Dimension of Music. He is also the editor of Cosmic Music: Keys to the Musical Interpretation of Reality and Music, Mysticism, and Magic.
From the Back Cover
MUSIC / PHILOSOPHY The concept of the "Harmony of the Spheres" has fascinated inquiring minds for many centuries. Godwin's sourcebook traces the history of this idea that the whole cosmos, with its circling planets and stars, is in some way a harmonious or musical entity. Beginning with the creation myth from Plato's Timaeus, the author shows how this concept has continued to inspire philosophers, astronomers, and mystics from antiquity to the present day. Jewish, and Muslim sources, Joscelyn Godwin's anthology offers a rich fount of inspiration to poets and musicians, scientists and occultists. More than half of the fifty two texts have been translated into English for the first time from Latin, French, German, and Italian, including long passages on the subject of cosmic music from the Venetian Kabbalist Francesco Giorgi; the great Renaissance philosophers Kepler, Fludd, Mersenne, and Kircher; the German Pythagoreans Peter Singer and Albert von Thimus; and the rich esoteric tradition of modern France. All the passages are accompanied by introductions and notes explaining terms, clarifying concepts, and suggesting further reading. An extensive bibliography and indexes are also included. Harmony of the Spheres is an essential resource for anyone with a serious interest in the spiritual dimensions of music. Musician, scholar, and professor of music at Colgate University, Joscelyn Godwin is the author of numerous books, including Harmonies of Heaven and Earth: The Spiritual Dimension of Music. He is also the editor of Cosmic Music: Keys to the Musical Interpretation of Reality and Music, Mysticism, and Magic.
About the Author
Musician, scholar, and professor of music at Colgate University, Joscelyn Godwin is the author of numerous books, including Harmonies of Heaven and Earth: The Spiritual Dimension of Music. He is also the editor of Cosmic Music: Keys to the Musical Interpretation of Reality and Music, Mysticism, and Magic.