Music: Mystery, Art and the Human Being in Bloomington, MN

What is music? Steiner regards the essence of music as spiritual, inaudible to the senses. The world of tones, carried on vibrations of air, is not the essence. The true nature of music, the spiritual element in music,' he says, 'is found between the tones, in the intervals as an inaudible quality.' Rudolf Steiner spoke repeatedly of music as something inherent both in the cosmos and in human beings. It played an important role in many forms of ritual and worship, and people once perceived a link between music and the world of stars, which was seen as the dwelling of the gods. Nowadays our view of music is divorced from such religious outlooks, but research repeatedly demonstrates the profound effects it continues to have on us. In this unique anthology of texts, compiled with a commentary and notes by Michael Kurtz, Steiner describes the realm of spiritually resonating harmonies of the spheres and our intrinsic connection to that cosmic music. He also explores the phenomenon of musical listening and experience, as well as Goethe's approach to music.