It consists of 50 discourses with illustrations by Matthias Merian, each of which is accompanied by an epigrammatic verse, prose and a musical fugue.

The fugues were arranged in three voices symbolizing the philosopher's stone, the pursuing adept, and obstacles in his way.

[1] As Florin G. Calian writes, It is the first alchemical Gesamtkunstwerk that comprises music, images, poetry, and prose together in one piece.

As is stressed on the frontispiece of the book, all the senses are involved in contact with this treatise: partim oculis et inteflectui... partim auribus et recreationi... videnda, legenda, meditanda, intelligenda, dijudicanda, canenda et audienda.

[2]The title page depicts various scenes from Greek mythology related to golden apples: The preface contains a dissertation upon ancient music and narrates the Greek myth of Atalanta and Hippomenes.