Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Real Mystery Code of Da Vinci Code Chapel Solved


The Rosslyn chapel in Scotland featured in the controversial movie "The Da Vinci Code" actually has a real mystery code in its intricate art structures. It is all about a hidden musical composition and it was discovered by a father and son team after being hidden for 600 years. Thomas Mitchell is a 75-year-old musician and ex-Royal Air Force code breaker. His son, Stuart, on the other hand, is a composer and pianist. They described the hidden musical piece as "frozen music."

The father-son duo stumbled upon the mystery when they first became intrigued by symbols carved into the chapel's arches, particularly with thirteen angel musicians and 213 carved cubes depicting geometric-type patterns. Years of research led the Mitchells to learn of an ancient musical system called cymatics, or Chladni patterns, which are formed by sound waves at specific pitches. They matched each of the patterns on the carved cubes to a Chladni pitch, and were able finally to unlock the notes of a composition.

It took 27 years for Mitchell to solve the mystery. A world premiere of the medieval music will be played at a concert in the chapel on May 18, 2007. In it, four singers will be accompanied by eight musicians playing the piece on mediaeval instruments. "It's not something you would want to put on in the car and listen to, but it's certainly an interesting piece of music," Mitchell said. "It's got a good mediaeval sound to it."
Because of the popularity of the movie, The Da Vinci Code, the number of tourists who visit Rosslyn has spiked. The trend is expected to continue with the release of the new movie sequel to the previous one directed by Ron Howard. For more movie news, go to: http://hotsup.blogspot.com/

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