[Archive 2007-05-02] Rosslyn Chapel music score 'decoded'

Historical archive — originally published 2007-05-02. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

Carvings on the 600 hundred year old Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland represent a coded form of a musical score, the father-and-son team of Tommy J. Mitchell, 75 and Stuart Mitchell, 41, say.

The musical score has been "frozen" in the chapel for 600 years. Inside the chapel, there are 13 angels T. Mitchell calls the "orchestra of angels," which are carved into the chapel's arches and who appear to be musicians.

Surrounding the angels are 213 geometric symbols that were found to resemble sound waves at different pitches. After decoding all the symbols to match the soundwaves, they found the song which researchers say is part of the "cymatics" music system, also known as the "Chladni patterns" which is the study of wave phenomena associated with the physical patterns produced through the interaction of sound waves in a medium.

The Mitchells have added words from a contemporary hymn to the music and have named the composition The Rosslyn Motet, which is performed by the Tallis Chamber Choir and produced by Stuart Mitchell.

It is currently available on CD and is opening in a world premier concert on May 18 which will be performed inside the Rosslyn Chapel.

The chapel has seen a rise in visitors, tourists, and researchers since it was featured in the book and movie The Da Vinci Code.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Rosslyn Chapel music score 'decoded' by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.