to some extent harmony of a group mids european neopagans were rosicrucians, syncretizing whatever esoteric “they” would come around, and most probably as “they” were influential in the westeuropean literature [1][1] so as “they” were in the westeuropean classical music, which classicism indeed had have peak around the enlightenment era, altho the northerners [2] took advantage bit later over southerners, which defacto fist stirred the occult momentum, since renaissance onwards [3][3][3] all in all, like it or not, we cant walk on by the fact that neopaganism was one of the prime motors behind the evolution of the westeuropean classical vibe!, hm, but noone to judge noone coz lets say in a way (or somehow) scholastics rolled the ball towards awakening of neopaganism through flirt with neoplatonism (taken historically as thought) [4][4-1F][4] which then after opened door for italian aristocracy to lust for revival of the forgotten and buried paganism among bizantines [5(3rd paragraph 6thF] what eventually as venetian’alchemic’patronage lead even to european’alchemic’hype and bit later various neopagan standardizations on all levels, among which prime one the philosophical as basis for all “enlightened” westeuropean art&scince in which we are choking till this day [6][6][6] but music probably was most useful glue for common people to sense the vibe, tho coz Christianity was imprinted in the hearths of the majority, the neopagan vibe was more effective among european aristocracy through agitprop intimidation in “secular” literature paintings and music, what was case til the enlightenment era and the overthrow of royalism by republicanism when “middle class” also got fried, but in totality all classes got roasted in 20th century with the emergence of radio and television, when by orchestrated agitprop masses experienced neopagan attack on all levels [6] most notably through pop culture, altho there was in the beginning attempt the classical music to be imposed like most greatest art to which all should bow and follow, what in effect now is relic reserved rather for minority, yet musical academies around the world still put greatest focus on european classical music as if its classicism is by all means and in every way healing for the hearth, hm, go ask the Warbler!
only speculative question now for me, would be, whether among the renaissance, and especially after its peak mids the musical trends of the “enlightenment” romanticism, whether there was also interest for Microtones, if so probably there was also for Macro and Meta Tonalities!?, and as I can find info about the same notion, sounds bit awkward even for classical underground memento, that that was indeed case!?, i.e. go make difference between classical music and newtonian calculus [7] or alchemic magic, yeah “someone” was trying to open transdimensional portals by frequencies and signs, but what came from there, are “they” aware!? … “In addition to the numerous minor scales – and the unique major scale – there is a world of possibilities for transcendence in the technique of playing melodies that incorporate microtones, deliberate deviations from the commonly heard harmonious intervals favored by ordinary musical forms.
The phenomenon of the microtone is particularly interesting. Here is a tone that when played unintentionally merely sounds out of tune. Yet the very same tone, the same frequency of vibrations, when played intentionally, has the opposite effect. It takes on an aura of power. It feels like one has been instantly transported to an unknown world.” [7] also “although before the end of the nineteenth century there was no microtonality in the sense of artificial divisions of the whole tone, used freely like
blocks in a construction set, it was taken for granted that there were distinctions to be made between the small and large semitones produced automatically by certain temperaments, and between those and even smaller intervals (those referred to as dieses, for example), all of which were called for in a wide variety of contexts” [7] … here must add that the logic about the newtonian link, I’ve derive it from JPF [8] probably “the sumerian” was shrugged by rusicruian’royal’society to impose “their” logic [9] so on all levels would be chased mechanistic’automata’cosmology [9] what extra adds to the transhumanist logic even for music i.e. not just deus’ex’machina that is “their” neopagan lust, but also the possible subversive (conspy) mechanization of music too, as physically so as theoretically, an electro’chaos’buzz (of frequencies) in continual rhytmic&melodic flow till we all become push’d’button people!, hek classical music is not more prime hype, what “they” can do!?, lucky are those hooked on classics, or, maybe not!?, hm, pour bit reggae vibe in it and voilla You’ll survive “their” weed!, or maybe got addicted to the previous!?
interestingly, is there microtone for nipples
Looking beyond writings on music from the Middle Ages to those on medicine—specifically, biological sex assignment at conception and the anatomy of the uterus (see fig. 1.3)—it was widely held that the uterus, similarly to the whole tone, was divided into an odd number of cells.14 If, at the moment of conception, the male and female sperm united and settled in one of the cells on the right, by the warm, humid liver, the offspring would be male. If the sperm united and settled in one of the cells on the left, by the cold, dry spleen, the offspring would be female. If, however, the sperm united and settled in the central cell, the embryo would bear the physical marks of both sexes as a hermaphrodite, having received equal influence, with respect to heat and moisture, from the liver and spleen. Comparing the anatomy of the womb to the anatomy of the whole tone (see fig. 1.4), the resemblance is remarkable, recalling that fa on the left is gendered feminine, 12 Gaffurius, De harmonia musicorum, trans. Miller, 202. 13 Quoted and translated in Bent, “Musica Recta and Musica Ficta,” 78. 14 What follows on the uterus is from Cadden, Meanings of Sex Difference, 130–31, 172, 178, 190, 192, 198–99; and Kudlien, “The Seven Cells of the Uterus,” 415–23, esp. 417–18.
Figure 1.2. The Anatomy of a Whole Tone.
Female cold dry
Male warm humid
| ––– | ––– | ––– | ––– | ––– | ––– | ––– | Hermaphrodite Figure 1.3. The Anatomy of the Uterus.
fa mi | ––– | ––– | ––– | ––– | ––– | Hermaphrodite | ––– | ––– | ––– | ––– | ––– | ––– | ––– | Female
Male
Figure 1.4. The Birth of the Semitone.
t h e h e r m a p h r o d i t i c n at u r e o f t h e m i - fa c o m p l e x
❧ 27
while mi on the right is masculine. That point (or cell) at which a hermaphrodite was thought to be conceived is analogous with the very point of union or conjunction between mi and fa. Although John of Garland was rather cavalier in his distribution of mis and fas, allowing them on every note, the term falsa, as it was applied to music for this operation, had a negative connotation for most writers on the subject, and such alterations were to be avoided, if admitted at all. After having explained the specific voices that each letter may or may not take, Salomon gives the following warning: “s/he who would use the letters otherwise than what has been said would slip into the vice of ‘false music.’”15 In the mid-ninth century, the anonymous author of Scolica enchiriadis gives a singing exercise in which the addition of a raised inflection on F, explained as a simple transposition of the placement of a semitone from E–F to F♯–G (see ex. 1.1), but which consequently alters the melodic mode, is referred to as a vitium (i.e., a “vice,” “defect,” or “corruption”) admitted into music “just as barbarisms and solecisms are frequently intermixed figuratively into metric verse.”16 The musical “vice” of the shift in the placement of the semitone, compared to grammatical error, would be amplified in later centuries considering note function (voice) and the idea of gender: adding a sharp sign to F, which is naturally fa, turns it into mi. The feminine becomes the masculine. We find a comparable passage, where grammatical error is again employed for the sake of analogy, now with respect to human sexual tendencies, in the writings of the celebrated twelfth-century doctor universalis, Alain of Lille. His philosophical satire De planctu naturae (Plaint of Nature) begins with Lady Nature lamenting this very type of sexual transformation, using grammar to describe the deviance of mankind from what is natural, where Venus “changes ‘hes’ into ‘shes’ and with her witchcraft unmans man:” The active sex shudders in disgrace as it sees itself degenerate into the passive sex. A man turned woman blackens the fair name of his sex. The witchcraft of Venus turns him into a hermaphrodite. [10]
F. Paolini (1535-1605), in his Hebdomades, sive septem de septenario libri (1589),
brings together researches typical of the learned “Academies” that existed in
northern Italy in this period, such as – for example – the Venetian academy of
the Uranici, of which he was a prominent member.36 The work consistst of 49
(7x7!) chapters focused on the interpretation of a famous verse by Vergil37 on
Orpheus and the seven notes of the musical scale (the principal themes of the
book); but in fact, the main point of the Hebdomades consists in an attempt to
explain the “miraculous” effects of Orpheus’ song and poetry in terms of natural
and celestial magic. According to Paolini, it should be possible to revive those
effects by incorporating into human activities the “seeds” (semina) that are contained in the world soul. To this end, he provides a sevenfold categorization of
both the astral world and the modalities of rhetoric: by correlating them in the
mathematical esotericism | 83
correct manner, one should be able to effect a magical “animation” of music
and poetic discourse. [11]
the more problematic thought for some would be then how neoplatonism initiated all this when Plato was supposedly antipoetic, so the next quote should explain it, the problem still lies how so platonistic morality was circumvented and the accent mids european neopagans was yet again on the glorification of the cult’of’body and sexual lusts, simply for “them” it was more important the rejection of the christian refrain by all means, altho day after would impose by “themselves” utopian philosopher’king leading androgenous superhumanity in eternal’world’order, simply “their” time still hasnt come, and till then hedonism (decadence to/for all) is one of the most useful ways for dechristianization!
It just is not true that Plato despised art without qualification, could not appreciate the sublimity of Homer and the dark power of tragedy, and advocated a ban on all music and poetry for every citizen in all circumstances. Yet this is the impression many people have, for all they know—or think that they know—is that “Plato banished the poets.” In this connection I repeat a thought I expressed earlier, for it is good to remind ourselves of Plato’s many sides and talents: Plato was too powerful an artist to have been mastered by himself as a moralist. Having said this, however, it is important to acknowledge the fact that Plato was indeed a moralist, or if “moralist” is too pejorative a word (and in this instance I believe that it is), then let us call him a social-political thinker with an interest in guiding and regulating the behavior of citizens.71 In his theoretical role as legislator (a primary function of a genuine philosopher, according to Nietzsche) Plato was determined to have control of the arts, for he understood that “the modes of music cannot change without the modes of the greatest political laws changing,” as Socrates puts it in the Republic, on the authority of Damon, a fifth-century bce Athenian philosopher of music (424c). In the Laws, too, the Athenian insists that alterations in children’s
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Plato and Nietzsche
entertainments, particularly in their songs and dances, undermine the stability of laws and traditions (797a–798d). With this in mind, Plato dedicates the second book of the Laws to the proper musical education of citizens. [12]