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- Pages: 512
- Book Size: 6 x 9
- ISBN-13: 9780892812653
- Imprint: Inner Traditions
- On Sale Date: November 1, 1992
- Format: Hardcover Book
Harmony of the Spheres traces the history of the idea that the whole cosmos, with its circling planets and stars, is in some way a harmonious or musical entity. This rich anthology shows how the concept of cosmic harmony has inspired philosophers, astronomers, and mystics from antiquity to the present day.
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.
Preface and Acknowledgments
I. Classical
1. Plato
2. Pliny The Elder
3. Nicomachus of Gerasa
4. Theon of Smyrna
5. Ptolemy
6. Censorinus
7. The Hymns of Orpheus
8. Saint Athanasius
9. Aristeides Quintilianus
10. Calcidius
11. Macrobius
12. Proclus
13. Boethius
II. Medieval
14. Hunayn
15. Aurelian of Reome
16. John Scotus Eriugena
17. Regino of Prum
18. The Ikhwan Al-Safa" (Brethren of Purity)
19. Al-Hasan Al-Katib
20. Anonymous of the Twelfth Century
21. Isaac Ben Abraham Ibn Latif
22. Jacques De Liege
23. Ugolino of Orvieto
24. Giorgio Anselmi
25. Isaac Ben Haim
III. Renaissance
26. Marsilio Ficino
27. Ramis de Pareja
28. Pico Della Mirandola
29. Franchino Gafori
30. Francesco Giorgi
31. Heinrich Glarean
32. Gioseffo Zarlino
33. Jean Bodin
IV. Baroque
34. Johannes Kepler
35. Robert Fludd
36. Marin Mersenne
37. Athanasius Kircher
38. Angelo Berardi
39. Andeas Werckmeister
V. Enlightenment and Romanticism
40. Isaac Newton
41. Jean-Philippe Rameau
42. Giuseppe Tartini
43. Louis-Claude De Saint-Martin
44. Johann Friedrich Hugo Von Dalberg
45. Arthur Schopenhauer
46. Fabre D'Olivet
47. Alphonse Toussenel
48. Peter Singer
49. Albert Von Thimus
50 Isaac Rice
51. Saint-Yves D'Alveydre
52. Azbel
Notes
Bibliography
Index Nominum
Index Rerum
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.
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.
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.