Music in renaissance magic

by Gary Tomlinson

"Magic enjoyed a vigorous revival in sixteenth-century Europe, attaining a prestige it had not held for over a millenium and becoming, for some, a kind of universal philosophy. Renaissance music also suggested a form of universal knowledge through revived interest in two ancient themes: the Pythagorean and Platonic "harmony of the celestial spheres" and the legendary effects of the music of bards like Orpheus, Arion, and David. In this climate, Renaissance philosophers drew many new and provocative connections between music and the occult sciences." "In Music in Renaissance Magic, Gary Tomlinson describes some of these connections and offers a fresh view of the development of early modern thought in Italy. He focuses on a period roughly between the lifetimes of two key figures: the philosopher, magician, and musician Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499) and the philosopher Tommaso Campanella (1568-1639). Under Ficino's influence, other philosophers gave special prominence to music, while music