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Johann Friedrich Wolfgang Hasler Towards Hermeticist Grammars of Music: A Proposal for Systems of Composition Based on the Principles of the Hermetic Tradition, with Musical Demonstrations Submitted as fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music (PhD in Music) University of Newcastle upon Tyne School of Arts and Cultures November 2011 Abstract This thesis is a composer‟s manual on how to select and appropriately use musical materials in accordance with some of the parameters of the Hermetic Tradition. It puts to the reader‟s consideration a few proposals for Hermeticist grammars of musical composition. „Grammar‟ here is used in the sense of a set of rules which govern the construction of musical discourse. Musical grammars thus comprise rules pertaining to the construction and selection of both „lineal‟ musical materials such as pitch rows, rhythms, motifs and timbres, as well as of simultaneous events such as harmonic or contrapuntal textures. The adjective „Hermeticist‟, derived from the noun Hermeticism, refers to a form of traditional Western urban, learned and humanist occultism. This occultism is distinct from folk, popular, or religious/devotional forms of magic, which also occur in the West as well as in other cultures and societies. It is also distinct from other Western occult movements that are either revivalist in their inspiration (such as Wicca or neo- pagan religions) or related to the „pop culture‟ of the last quarter of the twentieth century, such as the movements of New Age and Chaos Magick. The first part of the thesis, the textual component, briefly examines the historical encounters between Hermeticism and music theory, very few of which have produced sounding pieces of music, while most of them have happened exclusively at the theoretical, philosophical or mystical-speculative levels. i In the second part, the portfolio of musical compositions, I demonstrate the application of the proposed methods through pieces of music I have composed using the historical, theoretical and technical background presented at length in part 1. I further comment on these musical results through annotations and description of pre- compositional work, context research and composition processes used in each individual piece. ii Dedication Hoc opus dedicatus est ad amicum meum carissimum, compositor neogranatensis Rodophus Adlitus [Hispanice Rodolfo Acosta dicitur], qui in decennium postremum saeculo vigentessimo provocatio aesthetica creativitatisque mihi iecit: Hujus liber eventus illi est. iii Acknowledgements Since the focus of this thesis is a creative artistic proposal, I have not personally consulted, translated, edited or interpreted any original historical archival material which could be technically considered as primary sources. Nonetheless, I have reviewed a substantial number of studies on the history of speculative music to construct the first part of my thesis and so I am indebted to the arduous and meticulous work of many musicologists and historians who have done all this cataloguing and analysis, and whose work was the starting point of my own proposals. The bibliography and references give credit to their work, which I have consulted, but beyond credit, since their contributions are the basis for my theoretical proposals, I feel they more deserved to be acknowledged than simply credited. Most useful of them all was the substantial work on this direction carried out by Professor Joscelyn Godwin since the 70s up to the present time, undoubtedly the most systematic and meticulous historical analyses of speculative music that I came across in over five years of research for this thesis. As a composer I have taken all of their studies and contributions, and tried to build from them workable systems of musical composition, which I adapted and later used to compose the musical works submitted in the portfolio, as the second part of this thesis. For their fascinating work which laid the foundations of my own proposals and compositions, I am truly thankful. iv I am also very happy to be able to include a CD with the recording of eleven of the twelve pieces from my portfolio, which were performed at a public concert thanks to the support and interest of several students of the Department of Music of Newcastle University (duly credited on the track list included in Appendix III to the portfolio), and the logistic and financial support of the „Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning – Music and Inclusivity‟ of the International Centre for Music Studies, Newcastle University. This audio “bonus” to the written thesis and scores would not have been possible without the support of the Centre and the interest of my fellow students-performers, so their participation and faith in the project deserves acknowledgement. Regarding the day-to-day support and interaction which makes a research project possible (even more so when embarking on one‟s first extended research project of this kind), I would like to thank my supervisors, Professor Dr. Agustín Fernández and Dr. Paul Attinello of Newcastle University, as well as the academic staff at the International Centre for Music Studies of the same with whom I often held fruitful discussions. Among them, those that had to put up most frequently with my peculiar idea of esotericism and music deserve special mention: Drs. Ian Biddle, Richard Wistreich, Bethany Lowe, Richard Elliott, and Professor David Clarke. My dear wife Julia Premauer had to endure a seven-year-long research and writing process, and this is quite a feat that I must thank her for, from the bottom of my heart. To all of them, my heartfelt gratitude. v Table of contents Parts of the Chapters or sections of the thesis Page thesis FRONT MATTER Abstract i Dedication iii Acknowledgements iv Table of contents vi List of figures x List of tables xii Epigraph xiv Introduction 1 I.1 Research questions 1 I.2 Aims and objectives of the thesis 2 I. 3 What this thesis is about and how it is strictured 2 PART I: THE THESIS Chapter 1: Speculative Music and its Repertoires 22 1.1 Chapter Introduction 22 1.1.1 Speculative music as musical metaphysics 24 1.1.2 The „phenomena of metaphysics‟, or the pieces of 25 speculative music 1.2 A proposal for a model of cataloguing musical 28 repertoire 1.2.1 Speculative music as musical occultism – 28 expanding a definition 1.2.2 Approaches to defining „esoteric‟ and „occult‟ 34 when applied to music 1.2.3 The three levels of representation of the occult in 37 speculative music Level 1 – The aesthetic, intuitional or inspired 38 level Level 2 – The symbolic level 43 Level 3 – The Speculative level 47 1.3 Chapter Conclusions 54 Chapter 2: Alchemical and Astrological Grammars of Music 55 2.1 Astrology and alchemy: sister techniques 55 2.2 Astrological Grammars of Music 63 2.2.1 The four main components of the contemporary 63 astrological chart 2.2.2 Musical attributions of the planets 68 vi 2.2.2.1 Planetary attributions based on the orbital distances 70 between the planets 2.2.2.2 Planetary attributions based on the orbital speeds of 73 the planets 2.2.2.3 Planetary attributions based on the spheres 77 representing the full musical range 2.2.3 Musical attributions of the zodiac and the houses 88 2.2.3.1 The Henschels‟ zodiac system 91 2.2.3.2 McMullin‟s zodiac system 93 2.2.3.3 Rosicrucian zodiac system 95 2.2.3.4 Anthroposophical zodiac system 97 2.2.3.5 A short note on the astrological houses 99 2.2.4 Musical attributions of the angular aspects 101 2.2.4.1 What aspects are, and how they relate to music 101 2.2.4.2 Ptolemy‟s assignment of intervals to aspects 105 2.2.4.3 Haase‟s compromise between logarithmic and lineal 108 systems 2.3 Chapter conclusions 110 Chapter 3: Cabalistic Grammars of Music 114 3.1 Chapter Introduction 114 3.1.1 Issues on spelling and transliteration of the Hebrew term 117 הלבק 3.2 How Cabala can be applied to musical parameters 120 3.2.1 Constituent parts of cabala 120 3.2.2 Numerology applied to music 125 3.2.2.1 Hebrew numerology (gematria) applied to music 132 3.3 Theories of Cabalistic Pitch 135 3.3.1 Extracting pitch series from words, names, phrases or magical 135 sigilla 3.3.2 Extracting pitch series from the magical sigils of the Hermetic 138 Tradition 3.3.2.1 Planetary seals 139 3.3.2.2 Magic squares 143 3.3.2.2.1 Origin of magic squares 149 3.3.2.2.2 Numeric and literal magic squares 150 3.3.3 Transforming the numbers or letters in magical squares into 151 pitches 3.3.3.1The numeric approach and some proposed methods of 152 applying it 3.3.3.1.2 A practical application of the numerical 158 methods discussed 3.3.3.2 The alphabetical approach and three methods of 161 applying it vii 3.3.3.2.1 Other classical Hermetic correspondences of 162 the letters 3.3.3.2.2 A proposal by a modern cabalist 165 3.3.3.2.3 A proposal by a nineteenth-century occultist 167 3.3.3.2.4 Proposals by modern Hermeticists 169 3.3.4 Conclusion to the section on pitch: Cabalistic pitch systems as 177 mystical serialism 3.4 Theories of cabalistic harmony and counterpoint 180 3.4.1 Chords 180 3.4.1.1 “Serialistically” derived chords 180 3.4.1.2 Cabalistically derived chords 181 3.4.2 Proposals for Cabalistic counterpoint 187 3.4.2.1 Dyads and “cabalistic first-species counterpoint” 187 3.4.2.2 „Contrapuntual units‟ derived from Hermetic material 190 3.5 Theories of cabalistic musical time: rhythm and metre 192 3.5.1 Rhythm 192 3.5.1.1 The rhythmic technique of addition 194 3.5.1.2 The rhythmic technique of equal subdivision 196 3.5.1.3 Problems with the techniques as proposed, and 199 cabalistic solutions to them 3.5.1.3.1 Examples of non-correspondence between 202 musical and cabalistic numeric correspondences when applied to rhythm 3.5.1.3.2 Cabalistic solutions to these problems 205 3.6 A short note on timbre 207 3.7 Chapter conclusions 208 viii PART II: Preface to the musical portfolio 213 PORTFOLIO OF MUSICAL Section 1 - Pieces composed at the Intuitional, Inspired 219 COMPOSITIONS, WITH and Aesthetic Level of Speculative Music COMMENTARIES 1.1. Dicta Hermetica, a choral song cycle for SATB 220 choir a capella 1.2. Prayer of Osiris, for solo baritone, sustaining 239 instrument and additional melodic instruments and voices Section 2 - Pieces composed at the Symbolic Level of 255 Speculative Music 2.1. Ascension, spiritual portrait of a striving soul, for 256 solo piano 2.2. Ararita, for male choir, vocal soloist, low idiophone 265 and sustaining instrument 2.3. HaShem (The Name), for several vocal layers and 271 idiophone(s) 2.4. The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistos, for 295 male vocal ensemble, organ, harp and three glass goblets Section 3 - Pieces Composed at the Speculative Level of 350 Speculative Music 3.1. The first astrological house, for solo piano 351 3.2. I: T 17^H, for piano four hands 360 Preliminary note on The Cabalistic Cross and The Lesser 386 Banishing Ritual of the Pentagam 3.3. The Cabalistic Cross, for voice and melodic 403 instrument 3.4. The Cabalistic Cross, for two voices and melodic 404 instrument 3.5. The Cabalistic Cross, for SATB choir a capella 405 3.6. The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram for 406 SATB choir and organ. APPENDICES TO THE Appendix I to the Portfolio: The Complete Text of The 409 Exercise of Permuting the Letters of The Tetragrammaton, as PORTFOLIO OF MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS Described in Abraham Abulafia‟s Or’HaShekhal (The Light of the Intellect) Appendix II to the Portfolio: The Lesser Banishing Ritual of 414 the Pentagram in Full Appendix III to the Portfolio: Track list for the accompanying 421 CD, which registers live performances of several of the works included in this portfolio REFERENCES OF Bibliography 423 WORKS CITED ix