ABSTRACT

In an attempt to more fully understand Kircher’s descriptions of both the stylus phantasticus (“belongs only to instruments, since the composer allows only his art and the delicacy of the musical phrases to be heard”) and the stylus hyporchematicus (“belongs to solemn festivities and is two-fold: theatrical and dancing, the former belongs to comedies and the later to court dances”), it is fortunate that the musical repertoire from a single Moravian court has preserved an extensive repertoire of music in both these styles that can be examined in great detail. Largely intact since the seventeenth century, it provides a unique window into the tastes and desires current at one specific court and a clear focus on the manifold ways this music can reflect the importance of Kircher’s stylistic concepts, not only in relation to musical form but also with regard to its colorful instrumentation.