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?

HehimselfanswersthequestionintheprefacetoMusurgia withaspir-iteddefence,sayingthatjustbecausehedoesnotperformmusicorcomposeformoney,itdoesnotmeanthatheisincompetent.‘ThePrinceofVenosa[Gesualdo]wasnotamusicianby trade; sowashe ignorantof it?Did thegreatkingsPtolemyandAlfonso,innotprofessingmusicorastronomy,knownothingofthem?’2Theidea,headds,isinsolentandabsurd!Fromanearlyagehehasworkedatallthenobleartsandsciences,includingmusicboththeoreticalandpractical,withattentivestudyanddiligentpractice.

WhilemanypiecesinMusurgia Universalis areunattributedandmaybebyhim,Kircherstatesplainlythathecomposedtheexample(Ill.9.1)ofhowtohandlethree-partwriting.Hesaysthatthevoicescanbegintogether,orelseonecanleadandtheothersfollow,observingtherulesofharmony,diminu-tionandsyncopation.Initsshortcompass,thisParadigma Melothesias omni-

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

Musurgia openswiththeanatomyofthemusicalpartsofmanandbeast:theearandthevoice.Thefirstengraving(Ill.9.2)showstheouterearanditsparts,andthesmallbonesofthemiddleear,namelythehammer,theanvilandthestirrup.Thesmallframesbeneathcomparethesebonesinthe

Chapter9 Music

kircher as composer

9.1 ‘A paradigm of free composition in all rhythms’.

159music

hearingapparatusofman,calf,horse,dog,hare, cat, sheep,goat,mouseandpig.7

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’.

Intermssuchas‘species’and‘spirits’wehearthestruggleofAristotelianmetaphysicstobridgethegapbetweenobjectiverealityandsubjectiveper-

ception.TheproblemswereofadifferentorderwhenKirchercameto thevocalorgans(Ill.9.3).

Whocaneasilyexplainthegreatvarietyofvocalproductioninanimals?Wehearthequerulousvoiceofthetoad,theplaintsofthemourningdove,thecuckoo’scall,thesweettrillingofthenightingale,thepipingofswallows,thecock’scrow,thetrumpetingofelephants,thebleatingofsheep,thelowingofcattle,thebarkingofdogs,andwewonderwhatmeaningoflove,hatred,anger,indignation,sorroworlamentingliesinthem.9

Kircherdefinesthevoicethus:‘Thevoiceisthesoundproducedbyananimalfromtheglottisthroughthestrikingofexhaledair,forexpressingtheaffectsofthesoul’.10Consequentlyheexcludesthebuzzingorchirpingofinsects,and,forthatmatter,thevoicethatreputedlyissuedfromthestomachofthePytho-ness(thepropheticpriestessoftheDelphicOracle).Thevoiceofthefrogwasaborderlinecase,aboutwhosecauseevenAristotlewasuncertain,butKircher

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)

160 music

settledthematterbyexperiment.‘Weexcited[acroak]inarecentlydeadfrogbyinsertingapipethroughtheribsandintothetrachea,thenstronglyblowingoutthewatercollectedinthegullet’.11Heconcludedthatthefrog’scroakisnotreallya‘voice’,butiscausedbyairviolentlyexpelledfromthelungsandmeet-ingwithmoisture:inshort,abelch.

Theoften-reproducedplateofbirdsongs(Ill.9.4)showsthesongofthenightingaletranscribedintomusicalnotation,andthesongsofthecock,hen(B: layinganegg;C:gatheringherchicks), cuckoo,quail andparrot.Thelatterhasbeentaughttosay‘Hello!’inGreek;butthatisnothingcomparedtoabirdofthelarkspecies,calledgallandra,aswereadintheaccompanyingtext.AlearnedPortuguesefriar,DamianusàFonseca,keptapetgallandrainhis‘museum’andtrainedittorattleofftheLitanyoftheSaints,andmuchelse,inaquasi-humanvoice.Kircherwouldneverhavebelievedthis,hadnotheandotherswitnessedthebird’sperformanceinFatherDamianus’scellon16March1648.

9.4 Birdsongs: the songs of various birds transcribed into musical notation. (Musurgia Universalis, Volume I, opposite 30)