Music of the Spheres in the Western Imagination - by David J Kendall (Paperback)

About the Book

This book describes various Western musical ecologies of the cosmos developed from the ancient world to the present, ecologies that seek to define the creation and preservation of the universe through musical principles. The author explores centuries of musical treatises, hymns, and Western fiction.

Book Synopsis

This book describes various Western musical ecologies of the cosmos developed from the ancient world to the present, ecologies that seek to define the creation and preservation of the universe through musical principles. The author explores centuries of musical treatises, hymns, and Western fiction.

Review Quotes

Keeping one foot firmly planted in his field of specialty (musicology), Kendall adroitly steps across boundaries to address the impact of #39;the Music of the Spheres#39; on narrative (Dante, Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Milton, Melville, Charlotte Bront?, and Steinbeck), poetry (Christian hymnody), and philosophy. A model of interdisciplinarity.

Long before the age of Hubble and Webb, our species was attunedmdash;literallymdash;to the cosmos, its movements and meanings, though mainly through the imagination and not the telescope. Music, mathematics, theology, and speculative philosophy have all played a crucial role in helping us to comprehend the universal order and our place in it. Kendall traces this intellectually ambitious history with admirable aplomb, presenting the reader with fascinating insights on nearly every page.

About the Author

David Joseph Kendall is associate professor of music at La Sierra University in Riverside, California, where he also serves as associate chair of the Department of Music.