Baroque:

roots of Baroque date to the Council of Trent (1545–63); the church launched this ornate & often extravagant style of architecture, art & music, to counter the simple austerity of its Protestant foes.  The first building in Rome to have a Baroque facade was the Church of the Gesù (1584) followed by the facade of St. Peter's Basilica (1606–1619).  By the early 17th century Barque was in full swing; by the 1740s in France Late Baroque (or Rococo) had evolved into an even more flamboyant variant, appearing in central Europe until the late 18th century.  By 1785, Rococo too had passed out of fashion in France, replaced by the order & seriousness of Neoclassical stlye and artists like David.

 

The Ionic: * see Endnote 28

one of 3 classical orders of classical architecture; has the narrowest columns, capitals uses volutes. Columns stand on a base which separates the shaft from the stylobate or platform; the capital is usually enriched with egg-and-dart.  Vitruvius characterized it as “female”, the Doric being male.

 

Attic sculptor: * see Endnote 29

Monumental stone sculpture first appears in Greece in the archaic period (660 BC), developing from small terra cotta figurines, bronzes &ivories.  Progression was a major feature of Greek sculpture, unlike Egyptian which remained static.  The Classical period {480-323 BC) saw a revolution of Greek art, associated with the introduction of democracy & end of the aristocratic culture (linked with the kouroi).  The giants of Greek sculpture now expressed the Apollonian soul in works like the Athena Parthenos, the Artemision Bronze & the Knidian Aphrodite.  With the advent of the Hellenistic period the development of sculpture ends.

 

great mathematics:

Spengler references a number of Classical mathematicians, notably Pythagoras (570-495 BC), Archytas (428-347 BC), Euclid, (323–283 BC), Archimedes (287-212 BC).  For the West he refers to Descartes (1596-1650), Leibniz (1646- 1716), Newton (1642–1726), Gauss (1777-1855), Riemann (1826-66).

 

mosaic painting: * see Endnote 30

Although mosaic appears in widely separated places & times in history, only in Byzantium between the 4th-14th centuries, did it rise to become the leading pictorial art.

 

counterpoint: * see Endnote 31

(aka contrapuntal) musical technique developed out of Renaissance music (1400-1600); became dominant in Baroque era (1600-1750).  Bach (1685-1750)  was the most important composer if this age & under him counterpoint  found its apogee.  He was master of this technique & skilled in contrapuntal invention; he used counterpoint as opposed to homophony.  He influenced most of later Western music.  Although counterpoint has been in use from 1400 AD to modernity, it peaked in the 17th-18th centuries; the influence of this age pervades western music.

 

Galilean mechanics: * see Endnote 32

(aka Newtonian mechanics or Classical mechanics) is 1 of 2 of two major sub-fields of mechanics; the other sub-field being quantum mechanics.  It is concerned with the set of physical laws describing the motion of bodies under the influence of a system of forces.  This study is an ancient one, it is one of the oldest & largest subjects in science, engineering or technology.  It describes the motion of macroscopic objects, from projectiles to parts of machinery, and astronomical objects, such as spacecraft, planets, stars & galaxies.  

 

Goethe’s individuality:

Spengler makes an analogy between the individuality of Goethe and the individuality of Cultures; he provides 9 examples reflected in a variety of different forms (see below).

 

Faust:

see Chapter I: Introduction, Faust, two souls of, p27

 

Farbenlehre: 

(aka Zur Farbenlehre; German for Theory of Colours); by Goethe, published 1810; his views on how colour is perceived.  Contains detailed descriptions of coloured shadows, refraction & chromatic aberration.  Originated in hs occupation with painting & provides a catalogue of colour perception in different circumstances, Newton's being a special cases.  Goethe's concern was not an analytic treatment but how light is perceived.  Although rejected by physicists, the book attracted the attention of philosophers including Schopenhauer, Helmholtz & Wittgenstein.  Philosophers understand the distinction between Newton’s spectrum & the phenomenon of human colour perception; influenced the arts (Turner, Pre-Raphaelites, Kandinsky).

 

Reineke Fuchs:

(aka Reynard) Goethe’s adaption; main character in several Northern European fables largely concerned with Reynard, an anthropomorphic red fox & trickster. In the beginning the fox is anything but a successful impostor, outwitted by weaker animals; later on this changes & he plays outrageous pranks on the animals, especially the wolf, escaping punishment by healing the sick lion.  All done at the expense of his adversaries. In the end he poisons the lion, his benefactor, and the poem closes with a reflection on the success attending falsehood but honesty goes unrewarded.  Written in the Middle Ages by multiple authors, parodies of medieval literature (courtly love stories & chansons de geste) and political & religious satire.

 

Tasso:

(aka Torquato Tasso) play by Goethe, completed 1789 soon after returning from Italy.  Tasso (1544-1595) is a poet famous for Jerusalem Delivered (1575, an epic set at the time of the Crusades).  His patron is Alfonso II Duke of Ferrara.  The play, set in the palace of Alfonso is based on an actual historical incident: in 1577 Tasso drew his knife upon a servant; Alfonso had him arrested & eventually incarcerated in the madhouse of St Anna for 7 years.  Goethe shows how Tasso behaves ineptly; it is a complex, ambivalent psychological drama.

 

Werther:

see Chapter I: Introduction, Werther, p14

 

Journey to Italy:

Goethe travelled to Italy & Sicily 1786-1788, a trip which had great impact on his aesthetic & philosophical development.  Inspired by Winckelmann’s studies on Greco-Roman art; his journey was a pilgrimage; he meet a variety of personage to include Lady Hamilton (Nelson’s lover) and Alessandro Cagliostro.  In Sicily he first encountered genuine Greek architecture (not Roman).  His Italian Journey (published 1816) was based on his diary, but covers only 1786; he spent 1787 in Venice.  It inspired many German youths to imitate this trip.

 

Fredericke love:

Friederike Brion (1752-1813) a parson's daughter, from Alsace, who had a short, but intense love-affair with the young Goethe.  He met her in 1770 at age 21.  His description of her is counted a literary masterwork and her home became the centre of the Earth for him.  He experienced an idyll & in 1771 was inspirited to write verse.  These poems & songs (some of which he sent to her) became crucial for the Sturm und Drang & established Goethe as a poet.  In 1771 he saw Friederike for the last time, returned to Frankfurt, & sent her a letter ending their affair.  She answered him in a heart-rending letter.

​

Westöstlicher Divan:

(aka West–Eastern Diwa [a diwan is a collection of lyrical poems]) by Goethe, 1814-1819, published 1819, an expanded version printed 1827.  Inspired by his correspondence with Marianne von Willemer & the translation of the Persian poet Hafez' poems (by Joseph von Hammer).  It is part of Goethe's late work & final great cycle of poetry.  Initially consisted of 12 books made up of poetry, parables, historical allusions, pieces of invective, politically or religiously inclined poetry mirroring the attempt to bring together Orient & Occident.  A symbol of stimulating exchange between Orient & Occident, Germany & Middle East, Latin & Persian cultures & Christian & Muslim cultures.

​

Goethe Romische Eligien:

(aka The Roman Elegies) a cycle of 24 poems by Goethe; reflecting his Italian Journey, celebrate the sensuality & vigour of Italian and Classical culture. Written on his return to Weimar, they contain several poems on sexual themes (4 were suppressed from publication in hislifetime owing to fears of censorship, only published 1914) & a large body of the Venetian Epigrams, written during his second, shorter travel to Italy in 1790.  They are also a loving tribute to Goethe's companion, Christiane Vulpius, whom he met in 1788 on his return from Italy.

 

individuality of the Classic world:

The 2nd half of his analogy, which began with Goethe’s life & work, now compared with a variety of different events, art work & phenomenon of the Classical World (see below).

​

Persian wars:

see Chapter I, Introduction page 10 Endnote 18

​

Attic drama:

Greek drama was a theatrical culture that flourished from 700 BC. Athens was its centre, where it was institutionalised as part of the Dionysia festival honouring the god Dionysus.  Tragedy (late 500 BC), comedy (490 BC) & the satyr play were the 3 dramatic genres to emerge.  Athens exported the festival to its numerous colonies and allies in order to promote a common cultural identity. Only men were allowed to play female parts.

And see also Chapter I, Dionysus page 8 and Dionysian movement, page 27 Endnote 43.

​

City-State:

see Chapter II: The Meaning of Numbers, polis, page 83

 

Dionysia:

see also Chapter I, Dionysus, p8; “Dionysian”, p24;  Dionysian movement, p27 see Endnote; Dionysus religion, p33 see Endnote

 

Tyrannis: * see Endnote 33

(aka tyrant) Greek term meaning authoritarian sovereign but bearing no pejorative connotation during the Archaic and early Classical periods.  In the 7th & 6th centuries BC, tyranny was often seen as an intermediate stage between narrow oligarchy & more democratic forms of polity.  However in the late 5th & 4th centuries BC, a new kind of tyrant, the military dictator, arose, specifically in Sicily.  For Plato & Aristotle, a tyrant was a person who rules without law, using extreme & cruel methods against both his own people & others; clearly a negative word. Given the decisive influence of philosophy on politics, its negative connotations only increased, continuing into the Hellenistic period.

 

Ionic column:

see above The Ionic

 

geometry of Euclid:

see Chapter II: The Meaning of Numbers, Euclidean geometry, p59, see Introduction page 42, and see congruence theorem of, p84,

​

Roman legion:

Roman army originally composed of 5,000 soldiers, in the republican era organized into 3 lines of 10 maniples; in organization & function they were influenced by the Greek & Macedonian phalanx.  From about 100 BC they were organized into 10 cohorts & included a small cavalry unit.  By the 3rd century AD, they were much smaller (about 1,000- 1,500 men) but there were more of them.  In the Empire they formed the elite heavy infantry, recruited from Roman citizens; the rest of the army consisted of auxiliaries, providing additional infantry & most of the cavalry.  Provincials who aspired to citizenship gained it when honourably discharged.  The Imperial army consisted mostly of auxiliaries not legions.  Many of the legions founded before 40 BC were still active until the 5th century.

​

gladiatorial contests:

contests between gladiators (armed combatants), who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic & Empire, in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals & condemned criminals.  Although some were volunteers, most were slaves, schooled under harsh conditions.  They offered an example of Rome's martial ethics in fighting or dying well & inspired admiration & acclaim.  Celebrated in high & low art.  Origins date back to funeral rites during the Punic Wars (3rd century BC) after which they became a feature of politics & social life.  Its popularity led to its use in ever more lavish and costly games which reached their peak between 1st century BC to 2nd century AD.  They declined in early 5th century following the adoption of Christianity.

 

panem et circenses of imperial age:

see Chapter I, Introduction, panem et circenses, p34

​

“recapitulates…all the epochs of the culture”:

Spengler’s interpretation of recapitulation as applied to cultures; he is referencing the recapitulation theory of evolutionary development proposed by Étienne Serres in 1824–26.  He argued that the embryos of 'higher' animals went through or recapitulated a series of stages, each resembled an animal lower down the great chain of being.  For example, the brain of a human embryo looked first like that of a fish, then in turn like that of a reptile, bird, and mammal before becoming clearly human. The embryologist Karl Ernst von Baer opposed this, arguing in 1828 that there was no linear sequence as in the great chain of being, based on a single body plan, but a process of epigenesis in which structures differentiate. Von Baer instead recognised four distinct animal body plans: radiate, like starfish; molluscan, like clams; articulate, like lobsters; and vertebrate, like fish. Zoologists then largely abandoned recapitulation.

Dieu le veult:

Latin: "God wills it"; a Christian motto associated with the Crusades, more specifically with the Princes' Crusade of 1096–1099.  The phrase appears in the Vulgate translation of the Christian Bible.

 

soul’s oath of young Perzival:

probably a reference to Perceval’s quest for the Grail.  Percival is distinguished by his quality of childlike innocence, protecting him from worldly temptation and which sets him apart from other knights in Arthur’s fellowship.  His great adventure was a visit to the castle of the wounded Fisher King, where he saw a mysterious dish (or grail) but, having previously been scolded for asking too many questions, failed to ask the question that would have healed the Fisher King.  Afterward, he set off in search of the Grail & gradually learns the true meaning of chivalry and its close connection with the teachings of the church.

 

tropic:

turning of all or part of an organism in a particular direction in response to an external stimulus.

​

Springtime of Petrarch:

when Petrarch was 23 (in 1327) after he had given up his vocation as a priest, the sight of a woman called "Laura" in the church of Sainte-Claire d'Avignon awoke in him a lasting passion, celebrated in the Scattered Rhymes.  These 366 poems became known as the Song Book.  We know little definite information concerning Laura, except that she is fair-hared & lovely, with a modest, dignified bearing.  Laura and Petrarch had little or no personal contact. According to his "Secretum", she refused him because she was already married.  He channelled his feelings into love poems that were exclamatory rather than persuasive.  She died in 1348 & Petrarch found this difficult to live with.   In his "Letter to Posterity" he wrote: "In my younger days I struggled constantly with an overwhelming but pure love affair – my only one, and I would have struggled with it longer had not premature death, bitter but salutary for me, extinguished the cooling flames. I certainly wish I could say that I have always been entirely free from desires of the flesh, but I would be lying if I did".

 

Minnesanger:

German tradition of lyric & song-writing, flourished in the Middle High ages (12th-14th century). Those who wrote & performed Minnesang were known as Minnesänger, a single song was called a Minnelied.  The name is from mine (Middle High German for love); love was the main subject. Similar to the Provençal troubadours and N. French trouvères, writing their love poetry in the tradition of courtly love in the High Middle Ages.

 

“recapitulates…all the epochs of the Culture to which it belongs”:

another referene to the recapitulation theory of evolutionary development; Spengler relating the individual’s life evolution to the Culture’s evolution.  He uses the ages of Goethe as his example (see below).

 

Urfaust (Goethe as Perzival):

written age 23; earliest draft of Faust (1772- 1775); details of his writing at this stage are not clear; it has 22 scenes, 1 in prose, 2 largely prose and the remaining 1,441 lines in rhymed verse.  The manuscript was lost & re-discovered in 1886.

 

Faust I (Goethe as Hamlet):

Goethe was 49 when this work was published as Faust, a Fragment.  He completed a preliminary version of what is now known as Part One in 1806, published in 1808.  It was followed by the revised 1828–29 edition.  And see Chapter I: Introduction, Faust, two souls of, p27

 

Faust II (Goethe man of 19th century):

He finished writing Faust Part II, age 82.  It was his principal occupation in his last years, and appearing posthumously in 1832.  And see Chapter II: The Meaning of Numbers, Faust II, page 70

 

Byron:

(1788-1824) known as Lord Byron, English nobleman, poet, peer, politician & leading figure in the Romantic movement; one of the great British poets.  Most famous works are the lengthy narrative poems Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage & the short lyric poem "She Walks in Beauty".  Travelled across Europe, lived 7 yeasrs in Italy (in Venice, Ravenna & Pisa), frequently visited his friend Shelley.  Joined Greek War of  Independence fighting the Ottoman Empire, died age 36 from a fever.  Described as the most flamboyant & notorious of the Romantics, he was celebrated & castigated for his aristocratic excesses (huge debts, numerous love affairs with men & women, possibly incest with his half-sister).

 

faddy:

of, having, or involving personal & transitory whims, especially about food; a fad