“Proto-zoomusicology” in the XVIIth century? Birdsong and other proposed ‘musics of Nature’ of both the Old and New Worlds, as reported in the Musurgia Universalis
- Format:
- Conference Paper
- Year:
- 2018
- Event Date:
- May 16–22
- Panel Title:
- Interdisciplinary aspects of Athanasius Kircher’s Encyclopaedia of Music Musurgia
- Event Institution:
- University of Minnesota
- Conference Title:
- Scientiae
- Conference Location:
- Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN
- Language:
- Abstract:
Even though the two-volume encyclopaedia of music Musurgia Universalis by the German Jesuit polymath Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680) appeared in Rome in 1650 (half a century into the baroque era), being as it is a compendium of theory and history of music, it draws heavily on the theories, practices and perspectives on music of previous periods, mainly the renaissance. So much so, that it might arguably be viewed as a summary these views on music during the late renaissance rather than of the early baroque, written at the end of that era and just after the conclusion of both the lives and oeuvre of the greatest exponents of the style. The research group “Artes y Modelos de Pensamiento” (“Arts and Models of Thought”) of the Universidad de Antioquia (Colombia) has been researching on the book since March 2016, and wishes to share with the international academic community a few of its findings so far. The papers presented will include:
- Conference URL: