Jean Taisnier

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Jean Taisnier

Jean Taisnier or Taisner, also Latinized Taisnerius, (born September 2, 1508 in Ath , † 1562 in Cologne ) was a Belgian lawyer, musician, astrologer and mathematician.

The first name is also quoted as Jan, Giovanni, Johannes, Joannis, depending on the language.

Life

Taisnier was the son of a businessman, attended the college in Ath and studied law at the University of Leuven . He did not use the title of Doctor of Canon Law and Civil Law until his publications from 1558, so it is unlikely that he received his doctorate in Leuven. Taisnier published in 1548, 1550 and 1559 on mathematical topics, but also on astrology and fortune-telling art (occultism), which he summarized in his Opus mathematicum , published in Cologne in 1562 . The title designation as a mathematical work encompassed contributions on various topics, including music and occultism. The book also includes his portrait. Like his brother, he was an excellent musician and was attested in 1535 as cantor in the chapel of Karl V (where he probably also taught the members of the boys' choir) and later headed the music band of the Archbishop of Cologne. He also published on music. In his book of 1558 he describes himself as Poeta laureatus, but hardly any poems by him are known. He spent many years in Italy, where he taught mathematics at various schools and universities (Rome 1546/47 and 1549, Ferrara 1548, in Palermo 1550 as head of the Archbishop's band, Naples 1551). His first well-known book appeared in Ferrara in 1548, and another in Palermo in 1550. He may have been a clergyman, but he doesn't mention that anywhere in his works. Although he received a canon benefice in Leuze (1542), it was part of his payment as the conductor of Charles V.

Besides Italy, he traveled a lot in Europe (France, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany), partly with the court of Charles V, and was in Tunis and Algiers in 1541 as part of an expedition of Charles V. In 1551 he fought under German mercenaries against the Turks in Reggio Calabria. In 1552 he was in the service of a cardinal in Rome before returning to the Spanish Netherlands via Florence and Venice. From 1555 to 1557 he was a teacher in Lessines . From 1558 he was in Cologne, where he published his last works, was Kapellmeister at the Archbishop's and gave lessons, partly at the university.

He has been accused of plagiarism on various occasions, for example in a treatise on a perpetual motion machine based on a magnet, drawing on Petrus Peregrinus de Maricourt from the 13th century (then just published in an edition in 1558) and Giovanni Battista Benedetti , without this as To name sources. He was later accused of plagiarism in two other works, such as a treatise on chiromancy by Barthélemy Cocles from Bologna. Johannes Kepler first learned about the theory of the attraction of magnets from the book about magnets .

According to Theodor Beck , a diving bell is mentioned for the first time in his book from 1562. In the book he also argued against the Aristotelian view that weight depends on speed, which may have influenced Simon Stevin , who carried out trap experiments before Galileo Galilei .

Fonts (selection)

  • De usu annuli sphaerici libri tres, Palermo 1550
  • De Sphaerae materialis fabrica et usu, 1558
  • De usu sphaerae materialis, Cologne 1559
  • De annuli sphaerici fabrica et usu libr. 3 geometr., 1560
  • Astrologiae Judiciariae Ysagogica, Cologne 1559
  • Opus mathematicurn: octo libros complectens, Cologne 1562
  • Opusculum perpetua memoria dignissimum de natura magnetis et eius effectibus, Cologne 1562, digitized

literature

  • Henri Bosmans : Jean Taisnier , in Biographie nationale, Volume 24, 1928, p. 499.
  • Jules Dewert: Jean Taisnier , in: Annales du cercle archéologique d'Ath et de la région, Volume 1, 1912
  • Modeste Soons: Jean Taisnier, mathématicien , in: Annales du cercle archéologique d'Ath et de la région, Volume 1, 1912
  • Lucien Godeaux: Note on Jean Taisnier , in: Annales du cercle archéologique d'Ath et de la région, Volume 2, 1913
  • Claude Palisca: A clarification of " Musica Reservata " in Jean Taisnier's Astrologiae 1559 , Acta Musicologica, Volume 31, 1959, pp. 133-161

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Toby Huff, The rise of early modern science, Cambridge UP 2017, p. 309
  2. ^ Theodor Beck: Contributions to the history of mechanical engineering, Springer, 2nd edition 1900, p. 240
  3. ↑ Teun Koetsier, Simon Stevin and the Rise of Archimedean Mechanics in the Renaissance, in S. Paipetis, M. Ceccarelli (eds.), The genius of Archimedes, Springer 2010, p. 97
personal data
SURNAME Taisnier, Jean
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Taisnerius, Johannes; Taisner, Jean
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian lawyer, musician and mathematician
DATE OF BIRTH September 2, 1508
PLACE OF BIRTH Ath
DATE OF DEATH 1562
Place of death Cologne