Date of Award

4-2025

Degree Name

Master of Music

Department

Music

First Advisor

Lisa Coons, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Christopher Biggs, D.M.A.

Third Advisor

Carter Rice, D.M.A.

Keywords

Alchemy, metal, Paracelsus, rock, song, three primes

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Tria Prima is a three-movement alternative rock and metal song cycle based on the three primes as described by 16th century alchemist Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, most commonly known as Paracelsus. Paracelsus hypothesized that the three primes - sulphur, mercury, and salt - are a representation of the human experience. He also believed they are the basis upon which the seven celestial metals are made, as well as the source of and cure to all diseases by nature of their imbalance.

Sulfur corresponds to the soul — it is combustible and unstable, and represents emotions and desires. Mercury corresponds to the spirit or the mind — it is fluid and ever changing, representing creativity, imagination, and intelligence. Salt corresponds to the body — it is stable and unchanging, representing solidity, stagnancy, and dependability. Tria Prima presents three movements, each inspired by one of the Three Primes, with original text inspired by, and adapted from, Paracelsus’s alchemical writings.

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