“Come, seeker of wisdom — enter this symbolic Temple of Music. Study its every part, and you will understand the hidden laws that govern sound, proportion, beauty, and the very structure of the cosmos.”
Utriusque cosmi maioris scilicet et minoris metaphysica, physica atque technica historia c. 1617 by Robert Fludd
A Most Clear Description of the Prefigured Temple of Music
Of the structure and site of this temple, poets—whose attentions are usually tirelessly occupied with fables and fictions—would sing wonderful things; indeed, they would pursue this subject much more eagerly, since Music derives its name from their goddesses, namely the Muses, as is held in its etymology. Therefore, I ask pardon from them if I allow myself to be led by the stimulus and invention of poetic fury, though not by its meter, in the description of this temple. Let us therefore imagine this Musical Temple built upon the summit of Mount Parnassus, the seat of the Muses, surrounded on every side by groves and fields flourishing with everlasting greenness, and by crystalline fountains sweetly flowing hither and thither; by whose murmur a peaceful sleep is often induced upon passersby, while the little birds frequenting those parts and inhabiting the groves seem diligently to supply a base or foundation with their sharper songs (so that they may more symphonically pour forth diverse consonances of sounds), by whose melody the Nymphs themselves around the temple, the Satyrs led by Sylvanus through its groves, and the Shepherds (with Pan as their leader) through the fields are moved to lead dances. Amidst these delights, therefore, that divine gift of Apollo is established, preserved, and indeed worshipped with the adoration of all souls; all its constituent parts, dedicated to peace and concord, are so bound to one another by the mysteries of harmony and symphony—which include the concordances of heaven and the elements—that the entire universe would necessarily perish and be reduced to nothing by the strife of discord, before its consonances should either fail or be corrupted. Therefore, the President or GODDESS of this temple is Concordia [Concord], the ineffable Concord, the great offspring of the Being of Beings, by whose adoration small things grow, and by whose contempt great things fall apart. Its guardian or priest is Thalia, the sweetest of the nine Muses, by whose teachings the hidden mysteries of concord are unfolded to travelers and to those who suppliantly seek her Oracles. With eager eyes, therefore, the man of science will notice every part of this structure, nor will he despise the smallest portion of it, because both in every individual part and in its whole there moves that harmonic soul of Apollo, and that spirit of Music, which, sweetly soothing and gladdening the souls of living creatures, is accustomed to blow through all the nerves of this structure in the manner of the West Wind [Zephyr], sweeping away with it human desires, and restraining the rage of malignant demons by its sweetness, imbuing them, as it were, with a certain humanity: eagerly, I say, look upon the spiral revolution of the larger temple tower, which denotes the motion of the air after it is struck by sound or voice. Two golden doors, the organs of hearing, signify those things without which the sound produced is not perceived; nor is entry made into this temple except through them. In the second place, you will observe its three smaller towers, representing the dispositions of notes, of the round b [flat], the square [natural], and natural notes; and along with the observation of these, three parallelograms are to be sharply inspected (each one is built under each tower, naturally related to it), demonstrating the diverse natures, names, and places of the aforesaid notes in the system. Moreover, the pipes or organs of these parallelograms, expressed at their summit, denote the differences of voices and sounds of each parallelogram. Nor should the division of the column of this temple be despised, since it will delineate the true proportions of the monochord and the diverse species of consonances. The clock [horologium] also must be diligently weighed, lest time slip away unexpectedly or progress with too slow a foot (that is, with no observed proportion or measure). This clock, therefore, is like a regular keeper of the time of the notes, and a most ample mirror of their simple value. Why also should we not inspect the triangle of commensurable quantity, which measures the diversity of the proportion of times both in diminution and in augmentation, and clearly demonstrates the perfection and imperfection of the notes? The symphonic triangle of the system of intervals, as the final mystery of all the rest, must also be looked into with no small care, since through it and from it all musical consonances are drawn out, without which no symphony is made: upon which triangle is depicted the history, by which the reason for the invention of those concordances is explained, namely the observation of Pythagoras, who, passing by chance and fortune through the workshop of a certain blacksmith, and perceiving the agreement of sounds from the strikes of four small hammers, ordered those hammers to be weighed, from the differences of whose weights he discovered three musical proportions or consonances: the Diatessaron [fourth], Diapente [fifth], and Diapason [octave], which we have explained more clearly through the letters of the three windows of the temple and the connections of the letters, which contribute equally to the composition of symphonic harmony as that symphonic triangle. If you, eager Reader, sagaciously inspect these parts of this temple, you will be a partaker of all the mysteries of the same, and a highly expert master in this excellent science."
The text presents a detailed allegorical description of an imaginary “Temple of Music.” Fludd uses this architectural vision as a symbolic representation of the nature, structure, and cosmic significance of Music itself.
Core Ideas
- Music as a Cosmic and Divine Principle
- The Temple as a Symbolic Building
- Key Symbolic Elements of the Temple
- Goddess Concordia (Harmony): The presiding deity of the temple — the “great offspring of the Being of Beings.” She represents the binding power that makes small things great and holds reality together.
- Thalia (one of the nine Muses): Serves as the priestess or guardian, revealing the “hidden mysteries of concord.”
- Architectural Features (all symbolic):
- Two golden doors: Represent the ears (organs of hearing) — the necessary entrance for sound.
- Spiral tower: Symbolises the spiralling motion of air when struck by voice or sound (the physics of sound waves).
- Three smaller towers and parallelograms: Represent the different types of musical notes (flat, natural, sharp) and their positions in the musical system.
- Column divisions: Illustrate the proportions of the monochord (a single-stringed instrument used to demonstrate musical ratios) and different kinds of consonances (harmonious intervals).
- Clock (horologium): Symbolises rhythm and the measured duration of notes.
- Triangles: Represent mathematical proportions in music — including the famous Pythagorean discovery of musical intervals (fourth, fifth, and octave) by observing the weights of blacksmiths’ hammers.
- The Pythagorean Origin Story
Fludd portrays music not merely as entertainment or art, but as a fundamental expression of harmony (Concordia) that sustains the entire universe. Without this harmony, the cosmos would dissolve into chaos and “perish.” Music reflects the divine order, connecting heaven, the elements, and human souls.
The “Temple of Music” is imagined standing on Mount Parnassus, the sacred mountain of the Muses in Greek mythology. It is surrounded by idealised natural beauty — eternal green groves, flowing fountains, singing birds, dancing nymphs, satyrs, and shepherds. This setting evokes an earthly paradise where music, nature, and myth are perfectly unified.
Fludd references the ancient legend of Pythagoras hearing harmonious sounds from hammers in a forge. By weighing the hammers, Pythagoras discovered the fundamental mathematical ratios underlying musical harmony. This story underscores Fludd’s belief that music is rooted in universal mathematical and cosmic laws.
