Musurgia Universalis
Rome: Corbellitti, 1650
First edition.
Two vols in 1, folio
Contemporary blindstamped pigskin, two clasps and catches.
The Musurgia was the most ambitious, comprehensive, and influential musical encyclopedia of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In it, Kircher not only covered the full scope of ancient, medieval, and contemporary music theory and practice but also the science of acoustics and the prevailing philosophical and theological concepts that explained the universe and soul in terms of musical harmonics. He also introduced novelties of his own, including computing algorithms for automatically composing four part polyphonic music, talking statues, musical instruments of his own design, and other innovations. His voracious and largely uncritical intellect, which vacuumed up everything he ever heard about music and sound, led him to include such oddities as the singing sloths of South America and the katzenklavier (cat piano), which played tunes by pinching the tails of cats so that they yowled at characteristic pitches.
Transcriptions of bird songs, Musurgia Universalis, Rome 1650.
