Contents Preface 7 Prologue: Interesting Times 9 1 Kircher’s Life and Work: An Overview 13 2 Frontispieces 23 3 The Illustration of Kircher’s Works 47 4 Antiquity Misread 59 5 Antiquity Preserved 77 6 Antiquity Imagined 99 7 Naturalia: Fire and Water 127 8 Naturalia: Air and Earth 143 9 Music 160 10 Machines of Past and Present 179 11 Machines: Magnetic and Optical 191 12 Maps and Plans 215 13 Exotica 237 14 Images of the Gods 257 15 Didactic Images 270 Athanasius Kircher’s Writings 289 Bibliography of Works Cited 290 Sources of Illustrations 294 Index 295 Athanasius Kircher’s Theatre of the World By Joscelyn Godwin
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Contents boeker... · 2009. 7. 14. · While many pieces in Musurgia Universalis are unattributed and may be by him, Kircher states plainly that he composed the example (Ill. 9.1)
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Contents
Preface 7
Prologue:InterestingTimes 9
1 Kircher’sLifeandWork:AnOverview 13
2 Frontispieces 23
3 TheIllustrationofKircher’sWorks 47
4 AntiquityMisread 59
5 AntiquityPreserved 77
6 AntiquityImagined 99
7 Naturalia:FireandWater 127
8 Naturalia:AirandEarth 143
9 Music 160
10 MachinesofPastandPresent 179
11 Machines:MagneticandOptical 191
12 MapsandPlans 215
13 Exotica 237
14 ImagesoftheGods 257
15 DidacticImages 270
AthanasiusKircher’sWritings 289
BibliographyofWorksCited 290
SourcesofIllustrations 294
Index 295
AthanasiusKircher’sTheatreoftheWorld
ByJoscelynGodwin
Kircher’smasteryofmusicisoneofhismostunexpectedtraits.Whilemusi-caltalenttypicallyshowsitselfinchildhoodandleadstoalifelonginvolve-ment with performance and/or composition, Kircher’s biography revealsnothingofthesort.Onlyoncedoeshementionhavinghadanymusicaltrain-ingorinclinationinhisyouth;henevertellsanecdoteslinkinghimselfwithmusic,1andnobiographerhasshownhimdoinganythingmusical.Yetmusicisnoteasilylearnedinlaterlife,whiletocomposecounterpoint,playitonthekeyboard,orreaditfromthescoreinone’sheadisnolightachievementatanyage.CouldKircherdoit?
bus numeris absolutae (exampleoffreecompositioninallrhythms)containsat least eight different motifs, each treated imitatively and having its own‘affect’ormood.TypicalofKircher’szealtoclassifyanddisplaythevarietyof the world, he has here composed a musical microcosm, a sort of mini-aturespecimenchest.Equally typical,hesays thathispiece ‘describes thesoul moved towards God in harmonic affection’.4 As for the myriad othercompositionsandmusicalexamplesinMusurgia,Kircheradmitsthathehadhelp,andnowonder:atover1,200pagesitremainedforcenturiesthemostcomprehensiveworkonmusicbyasingleauthor.5
Thetextdescribesthethreesemicircularcanals,butsaysthattheyhavebeen omitted from the engraving because of the difficulty of illustratingthem.MoreimportanttoKircheristhequestionofwhatsortofairiscon-tainedinthesechambers,whichheassumestobetotallyisolatedfromtheoutsideair.Hethinksthatitmustbesimilartotheairthatistreatedinthelungsbeforeit isallowedtoreachtheheart,ortheair thatentersthenos-trilsandmustbe‘prepared’beforeitcanpenetratethebrain.Thistreatmentmodifiesthetemperatureandhumidityoftheair,enablingittonourishtheanimalspirits.Thisleadshimtoconsidertheoriesofsound.Somesaythatitisarealandindependententity,whileothers,thatitonlyexistsasperception.Hetakesthemiddlepath:soundreallyexistsaswavespropagatedintheair,butalso‘thesoundsofsonorousobjectsreachtheauditivepotentialbytheemissionofspecies’.
9.2 The anatomy of the ear and its parts, which the small frames beneath compare with the ears of other animals. (Musurgia Universalis, Volume I, opposite 14)
9.3 The anatomy of the voice. As with the ear, Kircher compares the human voice with the sounds made by animals. (Musurgia Universalis, Volume I, opposite 22)