B33 Found object, uncovering and cognition
While some finds lie on the surface just waiting to be identified and picked up, excavations require a considerable amount of extra effort, because either only a part protrudes from the ground, or the object lies at some depth. The situation is sometimes very similar with intangible cultural assets.
In the present case, we are dealing with an unexpectedly large find, like a rootstock, whose strong ramifications extend into various specialist areas. To unearth it intact in its full size requires an approach from different angles and the full size and character is only revealed at the end of all efforts.
The occidental theory of harmony is part - to stay with the image: a root strand - of the Catholic world view, in which everything - both man and his environment - was viewed as God's creation: MUSICA DONUM DEI. This world view did not come about without assumptions, but is based on the world views of the Egyptians and Greeks. What they all have in common is the location of the gods in heaven. Although we are still dealing with the same find, we suddenly find ourselves in a completely different place.
For the visible moving celestial bodies, the so-called wandering stars: Sun, Moon Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, the existence of a separate sphere was assumed, while the starry sky above appeared motionless and seemed to remain constant forever. The ideal place for locating an eternal god.
The connection of the number 8 with bliss can thus be traced back to the observation of the starry sky - but this is already a very late monotheistic interpretation, which in turn had to be limited to what was visible to the naked eye and to what was known about the cosmos knew until then. It was assumed that the knowledge about it would be immutable.
Since the Bible (Wis. 11, 21) reports that God created everything according to measure and number, the 7 wandering stars already provide a number that leads like a ladder to 8 and the number 8 as such has special meaning. The resurrection on the 8th day is related to this - as are the 8 days of the week according to the biblical count and the 8-step scale. Numerous articles on this page deal with it. The musical equivalent to the seemingly eternal cosmos is the consonance, which radiates through its motionlessness, i.e. freedom from beats, sublimity and calm, and especially on the organ with its constant volume conveys the emotional world a claim to eternity.
The worldview is based on two components: on the one hand, the idea that everything can be traced back to one and the same creator, and on the other hand, the assumption that can be derived from this that even seemingly incompatible forms of appearance in the world must have something to do with each other, since they ultimately go back to the same Creator. Now it was a matter of making that visible. An existing model for this concern was Harmonia, the Greek goddess of harmony, because she was said to have the ability to pull together the most diverse natures.
What was ideally suited as a connecting element were numbers, which also suggested mathematical certainty. But not only mathematicians know that dealing with these numbers is crucial.
For the reference to the Creator of the world, here are some examples:
The time calculation from the birth of Christ (Rev.12:16 "I am the A and the Ω, the beginning and the end.")
The 8 days of the week according to the biblical count, beginning and ending with the Lord's Day, are reminiscent of the A and Ω.
The prime and the octave, beginning and ending with the consonance, are also reminiscent of the A and Ω.
The number of the months of the year and the dial of the clock in congruence with the number of the disciples and the 12 prophets (according to the 12 book of prophets).
Since it is easy to get lost in details due to the overabundance of symbolic references, this contribution in particular is intended to keep the whole in view, for which we return to the image of the rootstock mentioned at the beginning with its far-reaching ramifications.
The whole structure is something man-made, an artefact that is not based on a scientific interest in knowledge. Therefore, the Catholic world view regularly came into conflict with independent observations - above all with those which concerned the cosmos and the course of the celestial bodies. Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler should be mentioned here. But reference is also made to Charles Darwin, whose inventories clashed with the biblical story of creation.
It is only against this background that one can imagine the enormous importance of the theory of harmony from a theological perspective and the importance of integrating the tonal material developed by the Greeks with a physical approach into the monotheistic world view - because persuasion cannot be achieved with contradictions.
This measure did not take place without tangible manipulation. Other articles on this page report on the determination of the root notes in analogy to Jacob's ladder - with the "C" like Christ or "Do" like Dominus as the starting point - and on the Last Judgment symbolism of the circle of fifths.
In order to be able to derive a gain in knowledge from all this, it is necessary to get to the bottom of the symbolism and its psychological effect. Humans are able to accept beliefs and let them become part of their identity. In many cases, this happens due to childhood imprinting. This is the only way to explain why he can suffer psychological injuries through the desecration of symbols - be it through the burning of a flag, a scripture considered sacred such as the Koran or through the sacrilege of the Host. Man defends his identity with his life.
Another component comes into play. If it were only about gaining knowledge, everyone would be happy about the refutation of a view that is considered to be outdated. But being right and being in right gives people power over others and this power must be defended - even against better knowledge. The human misconduct in dealing with power in connection with his need to exercise power in the right is by far the greatest problem of mankind.
If we approach things according to the principles of harmony, we can live with the fact that a devout Catholic, for example, is able to see something different in the wafer and the wine than a food chemist - after the transubstantiation has taken place, namely the body and blood of Christ - and that something else emerges from the cultural-historical analysis of the tonal system than "proof of the truth of Christianity", as Benedict XVI explained. The discrepancy - in music, the dissonance - is certainly not getting any smaller.
The turning of Christ's blood into wine, Ukrainian icon, 18th century
Harmony means in the interpersonal area, appreciatively allowing the divergent perspectives, because it requires respect for those who think differently. This also gives science its right to be allowed to formulate uncomfortable truths about the mental constitution of man ruthlessly and with impunity. For her part, she insists on the correct use of terms according to definition, in the present context above all on a differentiation between assertion, proof and belief and fights all forms of fake news with the means at its disposal, i.e. non-violent. It assumes an important educational function in society.
On the other hand, those who behave in a fundamentalist manner and, if possible, use force of arms to tolerate nothing but their own world view, slow down both their own and social development because they do not allow themselves to be viewed from a different perspective. Nothing worse would happen to him than a broadening of his horizons. Truth is a quantity independent of violence.
We owe our existence to the synergetic interaction of extremely heterogeneous factors in nature as well as to the balance of power in our living space, and we risk it if we disregard the principles of the theory of harmony on our part. However...
... every ethos, every good intention and every insight is only worth as much as the degree of its implementation
The facts described were summarized 220 years ago in the following words:
"O you immaculate sounds, how holy is your joy and your pain! For you do not rejoice and lament over any event, but over life and being, and your tears are only worthy of eternity, whose Tantalus man is."
From: Jean Paul, Flegeljahre, Vol. 2, Chapter Nro 25. Smaragdfluss, Musik der Musik, Tübingen 1804
The rediscovery of the ethical content and the Christian symbolism of Western harmonic theory provides the context for numerous forms of expression in art and architecture or, as here, in literature. An example from the 18th century. can be found in Blog B31.
But what is the nature of the find as a whole?
It brings order into the world with just a few numbers – a divine order: order in the cosmos, order in music, order in everyday life.
What is needed from the point of view of the church to understand the world, it makes accessible to everyone and gives a comforting home. This includes the teaching of an everlasting existence. This gives security even after death. Based on the 10 commandments, it strives for peace and promises a perfect world, not here, but at least in the afterlife. The harshness of fate is understood as a test. It accompanies the path of life in hundreds of details, biblical names of plants, in customs, legends of saints, in sacred architecture, liturgy, music and art. Due to its numerous references to analogy, it is of simple harmonic beauty.
The arguments of the Enlightenment, on the other hand, are well known. In retrospect, the Catholic world view appears as a now restored object, the meaning and purpose of which can be experienced anew, but which has been detached and replaced by many things, since essential elements proved to be outdated. The world view is an artefact that has grown over many centuries and, not unlike a root system, has given Western culture transnational cohesion. His dark side includes indoctrination, censorship, and submission.
Other epochs move in the drift of a different spirit of time, other cultures in other worldviews. In the mirror of the other person, one's own ideas can be viewed more clearly and critically. Science uses this effect, because its growth takes place through refutation and new knowledge is welcomed and not fought, while worldviews tend - as the german expression Weltbilder (worldpictures) already suggests - to be rigid and immobile.
© Aurelius Belz 2023