Musical Code Cracked At Rosslyn Chapel

After 20 years of trying, a Scottish composer has cracked a musical code hidden in the chapels ceiling.

news.scotsman.com...

Each cube contained different patterns to form an unusual 6½-minute piece of music for 13 medieval players. The unusual sound is thought to have been of great spiritual significance to those who built the chapel.

The melody was unravelled after Mr Mitchell discovered the stones at the bottom of each of 12 pillars inside the Midlothian chapel formed a cadence (three chords at the end of a piece of music) of which there were only three types in the 15th century.

Well, that's one code broken..

I can't wait to hear it. It must be there for reason, though I suppose it's reason could only be to mislead .

Mitchells website says it will be on his next album under the title "The Rosslyn Canon of Proportions".

Anyone got any ideas why the code would be musical?

Originally posted by kegs
Anyone got any ideas why the code would be musical?

You might find this an interesting read...

The Pythagorean Theory of Music and Color

Enjoy.

"It is evident from the nursery rhyme style of the music that he could not play very well.

"It is in triple time, sounds childlike and is based on plain chant which was the common form of rhythm of the time. In the 1400s, there wasn't a great deal of guidance for tempo so I have chosen to make it run for six and a half minutes but it could be stretched to eight minutes if a different tempo was used.

Quite funny.

The strange combination of instruments in the piece includes bagpipes, whistles, trumpet, a medieval mouth piano, guitar and singers.

I dont think I want to hear this.

Axeman, that's exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. Thank you.

Music is really just math anyway. Its a crafty way of hiding it.

Smart.

Originally posted by Nerdling
Music is really just math anyway. Its a crafty way of hiding it.

Smart.

Indeed it is. I can't wait to hear it.

If you play it backwards, does it say that paul is dead?

I think this is a PR stunt by director Ron Howard. People are talking
about a directors cut of The Da Vinci Code and this is what we will
see at the end of that version when Robert Landon [Tom Hanks]
and Sir Leigh Teabing [Ian McKellen] break new codes that reveal

- music is the Holy Grail!


Actual production photo from Rosslyn Chapel.

NOT.

I doubt it's a hoax, he's been at it for years though the timing is strangely coincidental. There are links on the web to other groups that have unsuccessfully tried to crack the code in the past.

I've e-mailed him and asked (very nicely!) for a basic notation, I doubt I'll get it but if I do we can see what we can find in it.

I was up there this summer and can tell you that the ties to Freemasonry made by some conspiracists and by "The DaVinci Code" are so tenuous, it's hard not to believe that they came about purely because of overactive imaginations.
Although an absolutely beautiful building, I came away feeling strangely deflated. I went hoping to maybe unravel a secret but came away with the conviction that Rosslyn does not hold any answers regarding modern day societies or hidden treasures. It is still worth a visit if you appreciate a building with outstanding architecture though.

I saw plenty that could be tied to ancient operative masonry (who wouldn't!!) but nothing that even vaguely resembled Freemasonry as discussed on this forum - that's if you don't count the half-assed attempt at a "Masonic Museum", which quite frankly, was a mess and seems nothing more than a blatant attempt to cash in on the publicity recently generated by Dan Brown and Hollywood.

The famous scene depicting a "Masonic Initiation by a Knight Templar" was a massive dissapointment. The carving was so weathered, it could have been anything. It was rather like looking at a cloud and hoping for a shape to appear. Even when the curator tried to outline the carving for me by pointing at certain aspects of it, I still could not see what the many have claimed - it looked no more than a blob of badly formed concrete to me no matter how hard I wanted to see. As this is one of the only (if not the only) pieces of evidence that ties the Knights Templar to Freemasonry, I'm afraid that the theory of these two societies being connected took one massive leap backwards - rather ironic that the only piece of "concrete" evidence should dash ones impressions rather than reinforce them!!!

That said, the architecture is pretty breathtaking. There is intricate stonework that anyone who appreciates architecture will find fascinating. Coupled with it's idyllic setting, and it's obvious that a lot of love, care and attention was put into this building and that it deserves to be acclaimed for this aspect alone. It's quite possible that there are codes within the architecture - there are certainly plenty of masons "marks" dotted around the building and lots of scenes and symbols whose meanings are not immediately apparent, but most are explained and although not mundane, they are not as "out there" as some would maybe like them or believe them to be. Four hours of close inspection certainly turned up nothing that the conspiracy theories have claimed for Rosslin.

Rosslin attracts the publicity because of what it is - a beautiful piece of architecture in a setting where you would never expect to find it. In all liklihood, it did have a connection with the Knights Templar but this is hardly unusual. In fact it would have been unusual for a building of that era not to have a connection, the Knights Templar being such a major part of Scottish society back then. Most of the churches in the area contain links to the KT - graves, carvings and architecture are not uncommon.

But that's it. I could see nothing whatsoever to tie in a modern conspiracy with either the building or the architecture - no matter how much I wanted to nor how much I tried.

Personally, I would advise people to tread very warily around anything that will appear in the press regarding Rosslin in the near future. The publicity that is bound to appear after the release of the "DaVinci Code" movie will probably generate many more outlandish theories - most of these will be fueled by a wish to see something that simply isn't there.

Incidentally, if you do intend to visit the Chapel, get there soon. The DaVinci Code has generated massive interest and the masses are descending. It's likely that the building will not be able to cope with so many visitors and it already requires extensive renovation. The white colour of the stonework is not the original finish and was put on centuries later in the mistaken belief that it would protect the building. In fact, it is doing the opposite and is causing rot. Eventually visitor numbers are going to have to be restricted and the building is going to have to undergo massive repair and renovation work. Who knows what will happen then?
Also be aware that Rosslin is a working Chapel. If you're going to go, phone ahead. You won't be admitted if there is a service in progress or a wedding taking place.