Michael Maier (1568–1622) was a German physician and counsellor to Rudolf II Habsburg. He was a learned alchemist, epigramist, and amateur composer. He wrote 50 alchemical fugues under the title “Atalanta Fugiens,” which includes an epigrammatic verse, prose, and illustration for each. In fact, I have all 50 fugues and a cassette recording made by singers at St. Mary’s Church, Putney, England in 1986.
The cover of my book is an engraving for Fugue #21, as you can see below.
“Atalanta Fugiens” (the fleeing Atalanta) is based on the Greek myth about the beautiful, fleet-footed huntress Atalanta, who could run quicker than the East Wind. She only wanted to marry a man who was equal to her, and decided to marry someone who could beat her in a race, which turned out to be Hippomenes, who overcame her with the help of three golden apples given to him by the Goddess Venus.
The fugues are arranged in three voices symbolizing the philosopher’s stone, the pursuing adept, and obstacles in his way. As Florin G. Calian wrote, “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.”
Of great interest to me is #41, which depicts the death of Adonis, and as Aphrodite (Venus) runs through rose bushes to get to his body, she “tinctures the roses with her blood.” This fugue is the only one that utilizes retrograde, a musical device where a melody is stated backwards. The end of this voice is its beginning, and the beginning is its end. In the sense of medieval musical symbolism and spirituality is the philosophic and religious knowledge that death means the birth to a new existence, and birth, the end of the preceding developmental process. In the case of this fugue, the end of Adonis is the beginning of his rebirth. Pure alchemy.
Composer Bear McCreary must have had an alchemical connection to Michael Maier when he wrote the brilliant theme for “Da Vinci’s Demons,” where once the theme is played, it then plays backwards to the beginning.
I used to joke that “when they make a movie of my book, I will write the score. The lengths one goes to in this town to get a gig!” At this stage of the game, having finished the novel and about to embark on both a sequel and a prequel, my feelings have changed. I truly believe that there is someone far better qualified to compose a score based on medieval history than me, and that’s Bear McCreary. His work on so many period projects such as Da Vinci’s Demons, Outlander, and Black Sails proves to me that he would do justice to Lion’s Gate far better than I could. And many pre-publication readers so far have exclaimed what a great mini-series it would be!