Harmonies of Heaven and Earth: Mysticism in Music from Antiquity to the Avant-Garde

by Joscelyn Godwin

Overview

Joscelyn Godwin explores music's effects on matter, living things, and human behavior. Turning to metaphysical accounts of the higher worlds and theories of celestial harmony, the author follows the path of musical inspiration on its descent to Earth, illuminating the archetypal currents that lie beneath Western musical history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780892815005
Publisher:	Inner Traditions/Bear & Company
Publication date:	11/01/1987
Edition description:	REISSUE
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Joscelyn Godwin was born in Kelmscott, Oxfordshire, England on January 16, 1945. He was educated as a chorister at Christ Church Cathedral School, Oxford, then at Radley College (Music Scholar), and Magdalene College, Cambridge (Music Scholar; B.A., 1965, Mus. B., 1966, M.A. 1969). Coming to the USA in 1966, he did graduate work in Musicology at Cornell University (Ph. D., 1969; dissertation: "The Music of Henry Cowell") and taught at Cleveland State University for two years before joining the Colgate University Music Department in 1971. He has taught at Colgate ever since.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments

Part I Ascending Parnassus
1 The Marvelous effects of Music
2 Hearing Secret Harmonies

Part II The Great Work
3 Music Alchemy
4 Music and the Currents of Time

Part III The Music of the Spheres
1 The Cosmological Framework
2 Planet-Scales, Type a
3 Modern Schemes: Titius-Bode and Goldschmidt
4 Planet-Scales, Type B
5 Planets, Tones, and the Days of the Week
6 Planet-Scales, Type C
7 Systems with Movable Tones: Eriugena, Anselmi
8 Kepler's Planetary Music
9 Intervals and the Astrological Aspects
10 Tone-Zodiacs
11 Angelic Orders and Muses: The Great Chain of Being
12 The Three Means
13 Gurdjieff's Law of Octaves
14 The Harmonics Series and its Symbolism
15 The Subharmonic Series
16 The Lambdoma and the Pyhagorean Table
17 Beyond Manifestation: 1/1 and 0/0

Notes

Bibliography of Works Cited

Editorial Reviews

"Through a rich, eclectic mix of mythological, philosophical, literary, and scientific references, the deeper meanings of sound and music are revealed."

Gnosis

"Through a rich, eclectic mix of mythological, philosophical, literary, and scientific references, the deeper meanings of sound and music are revealed."

From the Publisher

"Through a rich, eclectic mix of mythological, philosophical, literary, and scientific references, the deeper meanings of sound and music are revealed."

Gnosis Magazine