The Harmony of the Spheres: The Pythagorean Tradition in Music [Hardcover]

Joscelyn Godwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1992

Professor of Music at Colgate University and a widely respected musicologist, Godwin traces the history of the idea, held since ancient times, that the whole cosmos, with its circling planets and stars, is in some way a musical or harmonious entity. The author shows how this concept has continued to inspire philosophers, astronomers, and mystics from antiquity to the present day.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Musician, scholar, and professor of music at Colgate University, Joscelyn Godwin is the author of numerous books, including Harmonies of Heaven and Earth: The Spiritual Dimension of Music. He is also the editor of Cosmic Music: Keys to the Musical Interpretation of Reality and Music, Mysticism, and Magic.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions; First edition. edition (November 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892812656
• ISBN-13: 978-0892812653
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,468 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Source Readings in Music, December 11, 2002

By 

"musici123" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Harmony of the Spheres: The Pythagorean Tradition in Music (Hardcover)

Yes, this is a highly specialized, scholarly, and esoteric collection but it contains the translated writings of philosophers of music not easily available. Not even the huge "Strunk's Source Readings (1998)" has the information which Godwin has collected and translated: Nicomachus, Pliny, Ptolemy, Kepler, Fludd; Arab writers Al-Safa, Al-Katib; the kabalist Ibn Latif. If you are a fan of Godwin's research as I am, these source readings will fill in the gaps in the history of music which is not taught. It is, however, a reference book first and foremost.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Conscious Cosmos ~ Re-Discovering The Adam Kadmon, May 19, 2006

By 

Brian E. Erland "Rainbow Sphinx" (Brea, CA - USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Harmony of the Spheres: The Pythagorean Tradition in Music (Hardcover)

Jocelyn Godwin's 'The Harmony of the Spheres: The Pythagorean Tradition in Music' was published in '92 by Inner Traditions Publ. This 512 page text along with his 'Music, Mysticism and Magic' in '86 and 'Harmonies of Heaven and Earth' in '87 comprise a trilogy of monumental importance.

Building from the foundation of these two previous works Joscelyn Godwin presents a treatise encapsulating all the arcane and mundane wisdom of the ages to come to a conclusion that we knew all along in our heart of hearts. There is no separation, no "I and Thou" in the universe. All is one and music is the hidden key to unlocking this ancient truth. The cosmos is a musical, harmonious entity (Adam Kadmon)!

His scholarship is beyond repute, his research exhaustive and his conclusions, well you decide.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Harmony of the Spheres, December 14, 2009

By 

javafusion - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Harmony of the Spheres: The Pythagorean Tradition in Music (Hardcover)

Drawing on classical, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim sources, Godwin's anthology offers a rich fount of inspiration to poets and musicians, scientists and occultists. More than half of the fifty-two texts have been translated into English for the first time from Latin, French, German, and Italian, including long passages on the subject of cosmic music from the Venetian Kabbalist Francesco Giorgi; the great Renaissance philosophers Kepler, Fludd, Mersenne, and Kircher; the German Pythagoreans Pete Singer and Albert von Thimus; and the rich esoteric tradition of modern France. An extensive bibliography and indexes are also included. Harmony of the Spheres is an essential resource for anyone with a serious interest in the spiritual dimensions of music.