Science into Art: Discourses of Occult Vibration in Chicago’s Musical Culture

Join Professors Anna Gawboy and Christopher Scheer at the University of Chicago as they discuss the fascinating ways that esoteric philosophies influenced Chicago musicians.

Among the many varied offerings that comprised Chicago’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 were myriad scientific exhibitions, as well as the Parliament of World Religions, which brought together spiritual leaders representing a wide spectrum of beliefs. The Parliament included members of the Theosophical Society, an esoteric organization which sought to reconcile the growing divide between science and religion by treating both as corrupted branches of a universal ancient wisdom.

One concept which transcended these divisions at the time was vibration. At the exposition, vibration could be seen and experienced everywhere through the electric current that powered the geysers and illuminated the amusements of White City, as well as the novel inventions on display in the Electricity Building. At the same time, participating Theosophists advocated a conception of reality that was founded on the fundamental presence and manipulation of spiritual vibrations. In many cases, the language used to articulate scientific and spiritual meanings for vibration was shared, reflecting the Theosophists’ appropriation of scientific discourse and the deployment of Theosophy’s vibrational metaphysics in explanations of natural forces by scientists such as Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.

This vocabulary of vibration was an important element in the musical culture of Chicago in the twentieth century and provides a framework to re-enchant its history. We will explore two overlapping but contrasting case studies: 1) the salon of Djane Lavoie Herz and the ultramodern musical experiments of her student, Ruth Crawford Seeger; and 2) the relationship of Alton Abraham’s Thmei Research group to the performances and music of Sun Ra. In both cases, the study of Theosophical texts and their discourses of vibration motivated musical experimentation, revealing esotericism’s potential to inspire creativity in networks of Chicago musicians, traversing divisions of style and genre, science and religion, and class and race.

Pre-registration is required.