| According to tradition “the Devil has all the best tunes”. Whatever name he bears, whatever form he adopts, the Devil has always exploited or appreciated the power of music, whether for his own pleasure or as an instrument for the seduction and domination of souls. Satan “the Adversary”, “Father of Untruth”, “Ancient Serpent”; Lucifer, the most handsome of angels, leader of the revolt, cast down into the pits of hell by the Archangel Michael; Beelzebub, Prince of Demons; Astaroth, Grand Duke of Hell; Mephistopheles, one of the most important lords of Hell; Belial, a demon whose seductive appearance belies his hideous nature. These and endless other demons and monsters, witches and wizards—all that which serves evil—we shall simply call “the Devil”, so as not to lose ourselves at once in the dark labyrinths of demonology!
However, the reports we have concerning the Devil’s music are far from being unanimous. For some, it is a “devilish din”, a cacophony of effects designed to terrify the wretched victims in the abyss of Hell. Michael Praetorius, in the introduction to a Treatise written in 1619, gives us a precise description:
Whinnying and barking, mewing and croaking, with the gnashing of teeth, this sad and terrifying music of the dolorous cries from the incandescent Choir of Hell. |
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