Project Background

Michael Maier's alchemical book Atalanta fugiens was first published in Latin in 1617. It takes its title from the legendary tale of Atalanta’s race with Hippomenes. This publication comprised fifty emblems (engravings), each with an epigram and a discourse, but extended the concept further by incorporating fifty corresponding musical canons which he composed himself. In this sense it was an early example of multimedia.

Ensemble Plus Ultra has recorded the fifty canons for a CD on the Spanish label, Glossa, which will be launched - singly as well as with a new edition of the emblem book - in November 2006.

The CD is part of a much larger project, the prime mover of which is the bibliofile and publisher Jacobo Hernando Fitz-James Stuart y Gómez, 12^th Earl Of Berwick and Duke of Alba. Atalanta will launch a new very high-end publishing imprint following in the wake of the Duke’s highly prestigious Siruela press. The press will be launched by a series of performances of Atalanta Fugiens.

The Music

The title Atalanta fugiens refers to the myth of the fleeing Atalanta, pursued by Hippomenes, and slowed down by the Golden Apples given to him by Venus.

There are many levels of symbolism within the music. The three voices represent:

1) Atalanta Fugiens – the fleeing Atalanta

2) Hippomenes Sequens – the pursuing Hippomenes

3) Pomum Morens – the apples which delay the race and hinder the flight

and also the alchemical raw materials - Mercury, Sulphur and Salt. These three substances occur in nature in many combinations and mixtures, whereby Mercury corresponds alchemically to the Spirit, Sulphur to the Soul, and Salt to the Body.

Michael Maier writes ‘Just as Atalanta flees, so one voice repeatedly flees from, and is followed by the other as by Hippomenes. In the third voice the other two are stabilized and anchored. This one is simple and runs in constant note-values as the golden apple’.

The Performers

The performers are four singers (one to a part, SATB) and three instrumentalists – harp, sackbutt and erhu (a kind of two-stringed Chinese fiddle). Across the fifty canons different combinations and numbers of voices and instruments are used, giving the impression of constant change and fluidity during the cycle.

As nobody really knows how these pieces were performed, we are unconstrained by historical performance practice considerations. We have therefore sought ways to make the music fascinating to a 21st century audience in the choice of accompanying instruments. The er-hu, in particular, was chosen because it is an instrument with a very particular voice-like quality: it is highly expressive, but feels distant and mysterious.

Our Vision

The music of Atalanta fugiens, whilst fascinating, is largely incomprehensible as music on its own. Nobody really knows how Maier intended the music to be performed: some believe it was merely as an accompaniment to alchemical practices and to be sung in the laboratory; others think the music was perhaps performed in private at the court of Emperor Rudolf II. In any case the context has, somehow, to be put across to the audience and we believe this can be done best with the introduction of theatrical elements.

Alchemy is not a simple subject to introduce to the non-cognoscenti but it does hold a certain fascination and has many modern resonances: healing, mysticism, spirituality, philosophy, new age arts.

There is much visual potential in the project:

1) glorious and exotic emblems which, we hope, could be projected during the singing

2) exotic instruments

3) attractive singers, all of whom have good stage presence and experience of stage performance, as well as being – of course – musicians of the highest calibre

4) the telling of an exotic story, concerning beautiful people

For a quick introduction to Atalanta Fugiens, see www.levity.com/alchemy/atalanta.html

Atalanta publications Site www.edicionesatalanta.com

www.spamula.net/blog/archives/000531.html

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