'The Temple of Music' by Robert Fludd

332 Pages·2010·8.848 MB·English

by  Peter Hauge

‘THE TEMPLE OF MUSIC’
BY ROBERT FLUDD
Music Theory in Britain, 1500–1700: Critical Editions
SERIES EDITOR
Jessie Ann Owens, University of California, Davis, USA
This series represents the first systematic attempt to present the entire range of
theoretical writing about music by English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish writers
from 1500 to 1700 in modern critical editions. These editions, which use original
spelling and follow currently accepted practices for the publication of early modern
texts, aim to situate the work in the larger historical context and provide a view of
musical practices
Also published in this series:
A New Way of Making Fowre Parts in Counterpoint by Thomas Campion
and Rules how to Compose by Giovanni Coprario
Edited by Christopher R. Wilson
Synopsis of Vocal Musick by A.B. Philo-Mus.
Edited by Rebecca Herissone
A Briefe and Short Instruction of the Art of Musicke by Elway Bevin
Edited by Denis Collins
A Briefe Introduction to the Skill of Song by William Bathe
Edited by Kevin C. Karnes
John Birchensha: Writings on Music
Christopher D.S. Field and Benjamin Wardhaugh
‘The Temple of Music’
by Robert Fludd
PETER HAUGE
The Royal Library, Denmark
First published 2011 by Ashgate Publishing
Published 2016 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Copyright © 2011 Peter Hauge
Peter Hauge has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to
be identified as the author/editor of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only
for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Hauge, Peter.
‘The Temple of Music’ by Robert Fludd. – (Music theory in Britain, 1500–1700)
1. Fludd, Robert, 1574–1637. Temple of music. 2. Music theory – Early works to 1800.
I. Title II. Series
781–dc22

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fludd, Robert, 1574–1637.
[Utriusque cosmi maioris scilicet et minoris metaphysica, physica atque technica historia.
De templo musicae. English & Latin]
The temple of music / by Robert Fludd ; [critical edition by] Peter Hauge.
p. cm. – (Music theory in Britain, 1500–1700. Critical editions)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7546-5510-7 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Music theory – Early works to 1800.
I. Hauge, Peter. II. Title.
MT6.F63 2010
781–dc22
2010025096
ISBN 9780754655107 (hbk)
Bach musicological font developed by © Yo Tomita.
Contents
List of Plates vii
List of Figures and Table ix
List of Abbreviations xi
Series Editor’s Preface xiii
Preface xv
Introduction 1
The ‘Temple of Music’ 31
The First Book: On the Subject of Music 38
The Second Book: On the Musical System 50
The Third Book: On the Temple’s Square Column or on the
Monochord’s Proportional Division from Which the Consonances
Are Derived 72
The Fourth Book: On Musical Durations 90
The Fifth Book: On the Temple’s Triangle of Intervals Producing the
Consonances or on the Consonances of Symphony 136
The Sixth Book: On the Commonly Known Musical Instruments 174
The Seventh Book: On Our Great Instrument 216
Endnotes 245
Bibliography 293
Index 309
This page intentionally left blank
List of Plates
I.1 The ‘Temple of Music’ 31
2.1 The monochord 62
3.1 The square column 76
3.2 The monochord and the perfect consonances 82
3.3 The monochord and the octave 86
3.4 The monochord and multiple ratios 88
4.1 The clock and musical durations 94
4.2 The shield and note values 96
4.3 The durational triangle and ratios 124
5.1 The triangle of consonances 138
5.2 The parallelogram of consonances 160
5.3 The windows of consonances 166
5.4 Thalia’s stick 170
6.1 The lute 174
6.2 The lute’s tuning 176
6.3 The lute’s tuning and the position of the pitches 180
6.4 The correspondence between the stave and the
lute’s gamut 184
6.5 The circle of transposition 188
6.6 The orpharion 190
6.7 The bandora’s tuning and the position of the pitches 192
6.8 The correspondence between the stave and the bandora’s
gamut 196
6.9 The viol 200
6.10 The viol’s tuning and the position of the pitches 200
6.11 The cittern and its tuning (incomplete) 204
6.12 Pipes with finger holes, the organ, and the trumpet
and horn 208
6.13 The ‘Strohfidel’ 210
6.14 A mechanical clock with small bells 212
7.1 The sounding body 220
7.2 The running device and the stick with the note values 224
viii ‘The Temple of Music’ by Robert Fludd
7.3 The plectra 226
7.4 The plectra of silence 226
7.5 ‘Our Great Instrument’ 230
7.6 The setting of plectra and dampers in the bass part of the
running device 234
7.7 The setting of plectra and dampers in the tenor part of the
running device 236
All plates are reproduced from GB-Cjc, Kk.2.8–10(1), by kind permission of the
Master and Fellows of St John’s College, Cambridge.
List of Figures and Table
Figures
1.1 Subjects to be considered in music 38
1.2 Musica mundana and instrumentalis 40
1.3 The definitions of music harmony 44
1.4 The definition of the musician 46
1.5 Two things usually to be considered in musical sound 48
2.1 Four things needed for the composition of the temple 52
2.2 The combination of soft and natural hexachords (cantus mollis) 56
2.3 The combination of hard and natural hexachords (cantus durus) 58
2.4 The gamut, hexachords, and deductions 60
2.5 The use of the five clefs or keys 64
2.6 The sequences of pitches 68
2.7 Solmization syllables and the order of intervals 70
3.1 Consonances 72
4.1 Symbols of musical duration 90
4.2 Ligatures 104
4.3 Simple values 108
4.4 Shields of mode, time, and prolation 112
4.5 The ratios of musical durations 118
4.6 Proportion signs 130
5.1 Two things to be considered when arranging a symphony
of melodies 136
5.2 Harmonized concords 142
Table
1 The outline of Robert Fludd, Utriusque cosmi ... historia
(Oppenheim, 1617–18), vol. 1, ‘De macrocosmi historia’ 2