Kircher, Athanasius
(1601–1680)
ATHANASIUS KIRCHERKIRCHER, ATHANASIUSATHANASIUS KIRCHER [* 1601-† 1680] Among seventeenth-century writers on music, none possessed quite the breadth of erudition demonstrated by Athanasius Kircher, a German priest who spent most of his life teaching and writing in Rome. Twentieth-century minds may easily find Kircher's numerous works disturbing: separating scientific observation from fairy tale, established fact from conjecture, informed discussion from mystical speculation is not always as…