The Harmony of the Spheres: The Pythagorean Tradition in Music (Hardcover)

by Joscelyn Godwin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Professor of Music at Colgate University and a widely respected musicologist, Godwin here traces the idea, held since ancient times, that the whole cosmos is in some way a musical or harmonious entity.

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 (November 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892812656
• ISBN-13: 978-0892812653
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #463,813 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 54 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

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.

23 of 23 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 (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.