Atalanta Fugiens: An Edition of the Fugues, Emblems, and Epigrams

by Michael Maier, Joscelyn Godwin (Translator), Hildemarie Streich (Introduction)

Atalanta An Edition of the Emblems, Fugues and Epigrams (Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks) (English and Latin Edition)

Genres: Alchemy, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Reference, Esoterica, Art, History

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1617

About the author

Michael Maier was a physician, alchemist, and amateur composer who served as counselor to Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II Habsburg. His writings were a significant influence on Elias Ashmole and Isaac Newton.

Reviews

[Cristobal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este debe ser uno de los libros más hermosos que he leído, musical, enigmático, indescifrable. Una obra que va mucho más allá de ser un libro (texto), el termino libro se queda corto, tal vez la palabra testamento funciona mejor, testamento alquímico.

[Fer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A obra original de Maier mereceria a máxima nota, polo seu grande simboliamo alquímico e filosófico e polo seu uso inédito da música como acompanhante dum texto "multimédia" no século XVI.
Porém os comentários desta edição hermenéutica espanhola são confusos, pobres e mui repetitivos. Disfarça de profundidade filosófica-mágica a sua incapacidade para decodificar muitas das referências a processos químicos na obra. Há explicações de emblemas que são simplesmente a terceira ou quarta cópia do mesmo paragrafo.

[Jacob Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, so I didn't actually read this edition, so I can't speak to the scores for the fugues. However, I found the text and engravings incredibly interesting, and there is a wonderful recording of the fugues available for pretty cheap. Of course, this is no substitute for having the score to study, but I love this text and I will be purchasing this particular edition ASAP.

[Pedro Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A succinct and highly readable book. This is a perfect launching pad for future readings of alchemical materials for those who are interested in the Art.

[Valerie Barchefska · Rating 3 out of 5]

“A practical alchemist of our time said to the author: ‘I am convinced that the alchemist would be able to change lead into gold if he were pure enough in his whole life. But he is not pure enough in this very deep sense. And therefore he has to work for this goal each day, practically and spiritually. If he should reach this goal he would no longer need the transmutation process.’”

This book was recommended to me as an interesting source on early music and the fugue tradition. And I did find it interesting in that regard, as well as for its Latin language verses and lovely engravings. But ultimately, I hesitate to wholeheartedly recommend picking up this specific edition. While “Atalanta Fugiens” is a great work of art, and full of poetic mystery, the introduction and other explanatory text provided is a bit too…uncritical for my taste. The presentation is breathless, gullible, and unironic, which I didn't think was possible for modern people discussing a 17th Century alchemical text, but here we are. The publisher of this edition does seem to specialize in spiritual and/or esoteric works, and not art history or anything of that nature, so I guess it makes sense, but still…reader beware, lol.

[Blunt Of Mercia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A curious book of alchemical woodcuts and poems. The symbolism is very interesting, but the text quite obscure:

https://archive.org/details/atalantaf...

[Alfredo Molina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Directo al cementerio de letras muertas de mi memoria.

[Marco Sán Sán]

Está re-diver este libro, místico y oscuro aunque amigables su divagaciones además de el plus que en YouTube se pueden encontrar los ensambles de las fugas.