A lecture and musical demonstration by Joel Bacon, Distinguished Professor of Music with Clarissa Trapp, Instruction and Outreach Archivist

In his 1650 book Musurgia universalis, Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher introduced the world to his Arca Musarithmica. This device, a forerunner of generative AI, could automatically compose liturgical music. In this lecture Joel Bacon will discuss Kircher’s extraordinary ideas on music and artificial creativity, and perform a musical work composed on the spot by a model of the Arca Musarithmica. The lecture will feature a rare copy of Musurgia universalis from CSU’s Montfort-Runyan Music Collection, with Clarissa Trapp presenting the lavishly illustrated book.

AUGUST 28, 2026 | 5:15 P.M.
University Center for the Arts, Organ Recital Hall
1400 Remington St

Co-hosted by CSU College of Liberal Arts and CSU Libraries