The marvellous sound world in the 'Phonurgia Nova' of Athanasius Kircher

Abstract

Athanasius Kircher, Jesuit, was born in Geisa, Thüringen, in 1608. He spent a large amount of his life in Rome, where he died in 1680. He was active in many different topics, ranging from geology to philosophy. He was the author of many books at his time, among all the Musurgia Universalis, written in 1650, and the Phonurgia Nova, of 1673. Whilst the Musurgia Universalis gathered a wide attention also in recent years, the Phonurgia Nova, which means " a new method of sound production", was only recently rediscovered. In this paper the original Latin version of the Phonurgia Nova, which comprises two different books, i.e. the "Phonosophia nova" and the "Phonosophia anacamptica", is analyzed. The first book deals with the influence of music in the human being, whereas the second book analyses the sound propagation in enclosure. This book reveals some interesting acoustic apparatus for sound production and propagation, as the "tuba stentorophonica" (the loud trumpet), the "statua citofonica" (the talking statue). Some of these phonic apparatus are described, analyzed and commented.