Atalanta Fugiens

Atalanta Fugiens or Atalanta Fleeing is an emblem book with an alchemical theme by Michael Maier (1568–1622), published by Johann Theodor de Bry in Oppenheim in 1617 (2nd edition 1618). It consists of 50 discourses with illustrations by Matthias Merian, each of which is accompanied by an epigrammatic verse, prose and a musical fugue. It may therefore be considered an early example of multimedia.

Atalanta Fugiens

Title page.
Author	Michael Maier
Original title	Atalanta Fugiens, hoc est, Emblemata Nova de Secretis Naturae Chymica, Accommodata partim oculis et intellectui, figuris cupro incisis, adjectisquesententiis, Epigrammatis et notis, partim auribus & recreationi animi plus minus 50 Fugis Musicalibus trium Vocum, quarum duae ad unam simplicem melodiam distichis canendis peraptam, correspondeant, non absq; singulari jucunditate videnda, legenda, meditanda, intelligenda, dijudicanda, canenda et audienda.
Illustrator	Matthias Merian
Subject	Alchemy
Genre	Multimedia
Published	Oppenheim
Publisher	Johann Theodor de Bry, printed by Hieronymus Galler
Publication date	1617

The fugues were arranged in three voices symbolizing the philosopher's stone, the pursuing adept, and obstacles in his way.^[1] As Florin G. Calian writes,

It is the first alchemical Gesamtkunstwerk that comprises music, images, poetry, and prose together in one piece. As is stressed on the frontispiece of the book, all the senses are involved in contact with this treatise: partim oculis et inteflectui... partim auribus et recreationi... videnda, legenda, meditanda, intelligenda, dijudicanda, canenda et audienda. In this respect, Atalanta is a book that requires a rather contemplative exercise.^[2]

Title page

The title page depicts various scenes from Greek mythology related to golden apples:

• Top: Garden of the Hesperides.
• Left: Hercules stretching out his arm to seize one of the golden apples.
• Right: Aphrodite handing the golden apples to Hippomenes.
• Bottom: Race between Atalanta and Hippomenes, with Atalanta picking up an apple. Behind them is a temple with lovers embracing each other, while in the background they appear as a lion and lioness.

Preface

Maier's reinterpretation of the Riddle of the Sphinx as pictured in Emblem 39^[3]

The preface contains a dissertation upon ancient music and narrates the Greek myth of Atalanta and Hippomenes.

Discourses

Each of the 50 discourses contains:

• A detailed copper-plated engraving by Matthias Merian.
• An epigram in verse set to music in the form of a fugue for three voices - Atalanta, or the vox fugiens; Hippomenes, or the vox sequens, and Pomum objectum (Apple) or vox morans. "Atalanta fugiens" is a play on the word "fugue"^[4] Forty of the fifty fugues are based on compositions by John Farmer^[5]
• An epigram in German.
• A Latin verse with an accompanying discourse.^[6]

References

1. Read, John (1995-01-01). From Alchemy to Chemistry. Courier Corporation. pp. 72–73. ISBN 978-0-486-28690-7.
2. "Alkimia operativa and alkimia speculativa. Some Modern Controversies on the Historiography of Alchemy". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
3. Peter Forshaw/Ritman Library - Ritman Library Webinar on 'Atalanta Fugiens., at 48:45
4. Peter Forshaw/Ritman Library, at 18:15.
5. Ludwig, Loren. “John Farmer’s Sundry Waies: The English Origin of Michael Maier’s ‘Alchemical Fugues.’” Furnace and Fugue: A Digital Edition of Michael Maier’s “Atalanta fugiens” (1618) with Scholarly Commentary. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2020. doi:10.26300/bdp.ff.ludwig
6. Count Michael Maier: Life and writings J.B.Craven pub. 1914 reprinted 2003 Ibis Press

Further reading

• Calian, Florin G (2009), Spiritual Alchemy and the Function of Image: Coincidentia oppositorum in Michael Maier's Atalanta fugiens, Central European University, Budapest.
• Forshaw, Peter J (2010) 'Oratorium-Auditorium-Laboratorium: Early Modern Improvisations on Cabala, Music and Alchemy', in Aries.
• Lenke, Nils; Roudet, Nicolas; Tilton, Hereward (2014), Michael Maier - Nine Newly Discovered Letters. Ambix: Journal of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry (pp. 1-47).
• Carla Bromberg, (2015), Musical Knowledge in the History of Atalanta fugiens. In: Crossing Oceans: Exchange of Products, Instruments, Procedures and Ideas in the History of Chemistry and Related Science (pp. 117-133).
• Chaitow, Sasha, Atalanta Unveiled: Alchemical Initiation in the Emblems of the Atalanta Fugiens, Attic Books, 2020

External links

• Copies at various websites:
  • scribd.com Archived 2019-04-07 at the Wayback Machine (with engravings; without fugues, German epigrams)
  • pagesperso-orange.fr (complete scanned text including German epigrams; with appendix, errata; without engravings, fugues)
  • digital.sciencehistory.org (complete high-resolution scan of a 1618 printing, all pages including engravings and fugues)
• Images and other media at Wikimedia Commons
• English translation of Epigram Verse at wikisource
• alchemywebsite.com English translation of complete book
• youtube colored prints with instrumental version of the music for each emblem
• Furnace and Fugue. An open-access multimedia resource published by the University of Virginia Press. This English translation of Maier's work features high-resolution, zoomable images and newly commissioned, manipulable vocal recordings of Atalanta’s music.