Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Daemons Discover: Metropolitan Museum of Art Cloisters

(Click to enlarge) Original doorway from
Moutiers-Saint-Jean monastery, ca. 1250
If you know anything about us by now, you know we love a good fabulous museum now and again.  Other than reading a book, it’s a quick and easy way to time walk to another era!  We did just that when we visited Metropolitan Museum of Art Cloisters, or simply the Met Cloisters.

The Met Cloisters, located on four acres overlooking the Hudson River in northern Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park, is the branch of the Museum dedicated to the art, architecture, and gardens of medieval Europe. (Hello ancient de Clermonts!) Deriving its name from the medieval cloisters that form the core of the building, it presents a harmonious and evocative setting for more than 2,000 exceptional artworks and architectural elements from the medieval West. (It’s quite a trek to get there but totally worth it!)

The Cloisters building in Washington Heights was designed by Charles Collens and incorporated parts from the five cloistered abbeys of Catalan, Occitan and French origins.  (This already screams Matthew and the de Clermonts!)

Immediately entering the Cloisters, you can’t help but get a sense of Matthew, the stone mason, as well as the French medieval villages that were prevalent in his early vampire life.  (This is as close as we may ever get to engaging our six senses in medieval Europe and Matthew’s formative world.)

Once we stepped through that portal, there was no turning back! (Gleefully!)

Between 1934 and 1939, parts from Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Bonnefont-en-Comminges, Trie-sur-Baïse, and Froville were disassembled stone-by-stone and shipped to New York City, where they were reconstructed and integrated into a cohesive whole. 

a capital in Saint-Guilhem cloister containing acanthus leaves
and a variety of grotesque heads peering out from the vines
Pontaut Chapter House from Cistercian Abbey of Notre-Dame at Pontaut, south of Bordeaux; French, Aquataine, 12th century

While the Cloisters has many Romanesque structures and artifacts, there are also Gothic chapels and halls that were painstakingly transported from Europe to the Cloisters.  Being enclosed in this ancient and time-honored edifice, there is an overwhelming realization of the regality and chivalry that was alive, well and thriving in medieval times.  However, the thick, massive stone walls and dim natural light (characteristic of Romanesque architecture) were a reminder that these times were literally the Dark Ages, and a renaissance was yet to come.  You can see an architectural comparison between the Romanesque and the later Gothic styles below.

Examples:
Tomb effigies in the Gothic chapel
Characteristics: pointed arches, wheel windows and tracery,
stained glass with light pouring in, rib vaulted ceilings
Fuentidueña Chapel apse, a prime example of Romanesque architecture
Characteristics:  massive, thick walls, round arches,
sturdy pillars, decorative arcading, groin vaulting

(See the journey of this chapel from Castile to New York here.)

Now that we've had a little Romanesque versus Gothic architecture comparison, the Beinecke Library construction banter that Matthew and Diana share takes on renewed verve:

“I suppose if you’d built it, the Beinecke would look like a Norman keep or a Romanesque cloister.”
“I was thinking of something Gothic—far more modern,” Matthew teased. “Ready to go home?”

 ~ The Book of Life

The Met Cloisters is also renowned for their extensive Medieval European collection.  Throughout the grounds there are luxurious tapestries, including the famous Unicorn Tapestries.  (Apparently they were a thing back then, and even Ysabeau had one -- as mentioned in The Book of Life: “[Corra] waved hello to Matthew with her barbed tail, piercing a priceless tapestry depicting a unicorn in a garden. ”)  There is also an exquisite treasure-trove of stained glass, illuminated manuscripts, statues, and religious relics.

It doesn’t stop there, however.  The Cloisters is fortified, as would have been the originating churches and abbeys. Well-developed gardens would have been essential for survival. The gardens of the Cloisters contain a wide variety of mostly rare medieval species, amounting to over 250 genera of plants, flowers, herbs and trees, making it one of the world's most important collection of specialized gardens. Their design was overseen by during the museums build by James Rorimer, aided by Margaret Freeman, who conducted extensive research into both the keeping of plants and their symbolism in the Middle Ages.

Today, the gardens are tended by a staff of horticulturalists; the senior members are also historians and researchers on medieval gardening techniques.

So concludes the background info.  Let's move on to the practical application...seeing is believing!  It was a breathtaking sight to enter the medieval herb garden. (The word “garden” just doesn’t seem to do justice to the splendor of it all – nor do pictures, but we won't let that stop us from sharing our photos with you!)  It is a simply stunning display of horticulture from an era gone by.  Right smack at center court is the jewel of the garden -- four quince trees. The fruit was just starting to ripen while we were there, and the natural quince perfume faintly filled the cool, crisp air.  Trust us...this quote did cross our minds:

“I can smell the quinces.” Our new life in the Old Lodge was already calling to me.”
~ A Discovery of Witches  (Calgon, errr, quinces take us away!)

We can only imagine that the grounds of Sept-Tours were partially covered by some terrain like this --

Herb Garden with Quince Trees at the center
(complete with "poison plant" signs - as shown in the right foreground - as applicable)
Medieval Medicine Herbs

With a stroll around the garden, we were also transported back to the present at the sight of this stillroom.  We could envision Sarah and Diana, and a long line of witches that preceded them, like the Garlickhythe gathering, and perhaps even Marte too, hard at work in a space as the one pictured here:

Stillroom
(If you’d like to learn more about medieval gardens, MetPublications has a wonderful book free for download in a PDF format:  Sweet Herbs and Sundry Flowers:  Medieval Gardens and Gardens of the Cloisters)

Walking down the cloister corridor that surrounds the garden, it was easy to get lost into what abbey life, if not medieval life, must have been like!  As we said, being surrounded by so many aspects of the Middle Ages, our senses were certainly firing on all cylinders.


This is just the beginning of our exploration, however.  You never know where we’ll pop up so until next time, #FeedYourDaemons in the meantime, and stay tuned!



P.S. To see a variety of medieval architecture, artifacts and a plethora of medieval herbs from the Met Cloisters' garden and our trip there, view the gallery on Flickr (click here)!

Post by A. Hutter
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Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Daemons Discuss: Podcast - Take 5! | Our TV Wish List for a Series About The All Souls Trilogy

Take 5 - The One with our Television Wish List

Description: Caution! Recorded at night (wine may or may not have been involved), so excuse the silliness!  This is us just discussing our general wish list when it comes to the television production of A Discovery of Witches.  We have been anticipating this for a very long time, and this discussion has taken place dozens of times, in lots of places over the years!  Since we have the means this time, we recorded it! We suggest you pair your listening session with your favorite wine (or fermented beverage of choice) - you may relate to our ramblings a bit better!

SPOILER ALERT! We (The Daemons) approach this podcast with an assumption that the listener has read The All Souls Trilogy, including A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life.  If you haven't, and you don't mind, we certainly don't mind!  :)  Let's do this.

Listen:


1. Show notes:

For newcomers to the series:
- We'll start with the basics: The books in discussion are A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night and The Book of Life.  Together they make The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. 
- Our Daemon Guides to the All Souls Trilogy are available for download: ADOW, SON, TBOL
- If you'd like a ready-reference from the author herself, be sure to download the All Souls Real-Time Reading companion (free e-book at online booksellers via Penguin and Headline books).
- Deborah Harkness usually conducts a real-time reading on her Facebook Page (starting in September), and shares her posts across social media.  Check out her website for all of her social media links, and of course all that she has to offer her readers!
- To see what's available on the web as far as the All Souls universe fandom, check our links page.

Jean's happy-juice during recording.
In this episode
* News of the latest television production plans: Article from Deadline Hollywood; from Deb's Website: A Discovery of Witches TV

* Wolf Hall television production - (02:38) Jean expressed that Shadow of Night should look something like that.

* Reign (03:15) - Angela mentions it here, and later says "It's a whole bunch of wrong..."

* The CW network (03:20) - the Daemons plea to avoid it!  Just putting it out in the universe!

* Dark Shadows (04:19) - the sets were shaking...please, no!

* Tudors (04:25) - Yes, more like this.

* The Girl on the Train (06:54) - Jean mentions a controversy surrounding this production.

* Harry Potter (06:41) and Fifty Shades of Grey (07:23) - mentioned by Valerie as done well as far as scenery and production.

* The Poster that Angela mentions (10:17) - you can find it here

Val's poison.
* Ashley Pharoah (11:07) - writer/producer of A Discovery of Witches production.

* The Living and the Dead production on BBC America (something else done by Ashley Pharoah)

* The three big/small screen watches we've been around for (14:21):  1. Warner Brothers, 2. BBC, 3. (currently) BadWolf productions.

* Scenes we don't want cut! (14:30)
     •    Microcosm scene (in the forest in Madison, NY)
     •    Matthew on the Bridge of Sighs (the STALKING)
     •    Baldwin chapters (from #TeamBaldwin, Angela and Jean)
     •    The breakfast scene
     •    Dinner at All Souls (Matthew's place)
     •    Dancing at Sept-Tours
     •    Witch Water Scene
     •    Baldwin's speech on the Knights of Lazarus
     •    Ledger scene (when Diana snoops in Matthew's study.)
     •    The "fireworks" in the bedroom in Madison
     •    Scenes at the house starring The House

* We are probably losing the yoga scene (17:36): news of this came from Deborah Harkness

Escala - Christian Grey's building (08:19)
* Angela mentioned (21:19) Henry V - Agincourt/St Crispin's Day speech referring to Baldwin's speech, implying that maybe that it's not as weighty (in that context), but important all the same.

* Disclaimer on casting: (26:21) - we do run a fan cast website ... but we are open to understudies!

* Actors mentioned in passing (nothing concrete, and not in order!)  Just discussing actors we think are/were able to pull off the attitude/aura of certain characters.  Some have aged out of the parts we mention, and we are just referring to their acting ability and look (in some cases, at a particular point of their careers)  We can only comment about "known" actors, as we don't know the "unknowns" . . . yet:
     •    Angelina Jolie
     •    Jonny Lee Miller
     •    Diane Kruger
     •    Catherine Deneuve
     •    Brad Pitt
     •    Stockard Channing
     •    Viggo Mortensen
     •    Michael Fassbender
     •    Jamie Lee Curtis
     •    Susan Sarandon
     •    Eva Green
     •    Jonathan Rys Meyers - slated to play in (?) Viking
     •    Alan Cumming
     •    Lucy Liu

So Long, Farewell - The Sound of Music, 1965 ... (50:30)

* Quote from Jean towards the end of the episode (52:16) "I'm out of wine! I'm in the closet and I am out of wine!" ...we were laughing so hard, so it may have been hard to catch it.  It's definitely one for an eventual blooper reel!  P.S.  Jean's recording studio is located in her closet ... it doesn't echo!

Previous Episode
Take 4 - The One with the Witches
-----

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Questions marked by * are required.
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Thanks for listening!
Until next time...



Credits/Copyright Information 
* Intro music: "Ghost Dance" (edited down to second chorus) by Kevin Macleod, licensed for use by Creative Commons.
* News intro: by AwesomeMusicVideos21; provided for fair-use/royalty-free.
*  Outro music: Rimsky-Korsakov - "Scheherazade Symphonic Suite for Orchestra Op.35 - IV. Allegro molto," Public       

domain/copyright-free.
* Cover art (+ all variations associated w/ it): © Daemons Domain 

* The term "unofficial" is explained in our disclaimer located in Terms of Use - item 14.
* The Daemons Discuss podcast is hosted and produced by the owners (Angela, Jean and Valerie) of Daemons Domain and can also be found by entering the url http://www.DaemonsDiscuss.com in your browser, (listed on the various podcast syndicates like iTunes, Stitcher, etc.) which will redirect you back to the parent site, Daemons Domain.
* This podcast is intended for personal download/consumption.  Please see our Terms of Use; item 3.

* Our episode titles are a loving tribute to the show "Friends" just 'cause we love Friends and - let's face it - it's easier! Here's how one of the show creators explains their reasoning:
Jeff Greenstein: "When Marta & David & Jeff & I did 'Dream On', we used to spend a lot of time thinking about titles, because they were on-screen at the top of each episode. On "Friends", we decided that was a waste of time. We figured, why not name each episode after the thing that people will ostensibly be talking about around the water-cooler the next day?"
This was a Daemon Production

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Thursday, November 10, 2016

Black Friday Giveaway!

Prizes are not to scale!
Here it is!  Time for another giveaway!  Well, you didn't think we'd let prize 2 from the Halloween giveaway go to waste, did you?  No, of course not!  This time we are joined by our fellow All Souls enthusiasts over at The Tenth Knot, and they've kicked in to sweeten the prize!  Yay!  This giveaway is open to ALL!  It ends at the "official" beginning of Black Friday.  Let's cut to the chase -- here's what's up for grabs:
 
Shadow of Night (US paperback).
Diana's Commonplace Book (a Penguin promotional item), signed by Deborah Harkness.
A Thyme and Place - Medieval Feasts and Recipes for the Modern Table, by Tricia Cohen and Lisa Graves, illustrated by Lisa Graves.
☞ A package of Diana's favorite brand of tea!  Artemis Tea by Mariage Frères
An All Souls Trilogy audio book (winner's choice) from Audible*.
Last but not least, a sizable Penguin tote bag that will hold enough gifts for the most ambitious holiday shopper!

There are several ways to enter, and you can pick and choose how!  Trivia questions are worth the most.  One is from Take 4 of Daemons Discuss (our podcast), and one general All Souls Trilogy question from The Book of Life.  And as always, we have social media options, with Twitter users having the ability to enter daily.  :)  Enter below, and don't forget to read the terms/conditions at the bottom of the post!

Update: 8 Dec 2016: Prize received!  Congratulations, Aly!

 


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Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Daemons Discuss: Podcast - Take 4! | Witches in the All Souls Trilogy vs. Witches in the World We Live In

Take 4 - The One With the Witches. 

Description: Time to talk about Diana's people!  The Witches!  In A Discovery of Witches, witches either fell into the category spell-casters, or elemental witches.  Turns out there were more types of witches (weavers!), as there are many types in the 'realm' we live in.  We discuss the pagan practices that Deborah Harkness may have drawn from when she imagined the All Souls Trilogy.  What is myth and what is fact when it comes to neo-pagan belief systems?  Let's discuss!

SPOILER ALERT! We (The Daemons) approach this podcast with an assumption that the listener has read The All Souls Trilogy, including A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life.  If you haven't, and you don't mind, we certainly don't mind!  :)  Let's do this.


Listen:


From our good friend, Mo! :)

1. Show notes:

For newcomers to the All Souls Trilogy:
We'll start with the basics: The books in discussion are A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night The Book of Life.  Together they make The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. 
- Our Daemon Guides to the All Souls Trilogy are available for download: ADOW, SON, TBOL
- If you'd like a ready-reference from the author herself, be sure to download the All Souls Real-Time Reading companion (free e-book at online booksellers via Penguin and Headline books).
- Deborah Harkness usually conducts a real-time reading on her Facebook Page (starting in September), and shares her posts across social media.  Check out her website for all of her social media links, and of course all that she has to offer her readers!
- To see what's available on the web as far as the All Souls universe fandom, check our links page.

In this episode - a lot of info, bear with us!
Dog tags (SSN blurred, 'cause Val's weird,
but not crazy) - click to enlarge
* If you are interested in Wicca for your own practice, Val suggests going local.  Reach out to local gatherings in your area (if there are any available).  Decide if it's the correct path for you; you are the only one who can decide.  There are different traditions within Wicca, it'll also be good to research. Like any other religion, practices vary!  For more on Wicca you can check this website: Wicca for the rest of us.  It's a good practical resource and a suitable starting point.

* Agnes Sampson (02:34).  Mentioned in the All Souls Trilogy, read about her --> here

* Coven - Explained in the trilogy as a group or gathering of witches, but here's a good link on what it is to modern day witches (hint: it's the same!): http://bluemoonwicca.org/coven.html

* What is Obeah? Article on BBC website: Obeah: Resurgence of Jamaican 'Voodoo'.  Wikipedia link on Obeah <--there.

*Neopagan defined: Modern Paganism, also known as Contemporary Paganism and Neopaganism, is a group of new religious movements influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various historical pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe. Although they do share similarities, contemporary Pagan religious movements are diverse and no single set of beliefs, practices, or texts are shared by them all.

* Polytheistic defined: adjective 1. pertaining to, characterized by, or adhering to polytheism, the doctrine that there is more than one god or many gods.

* Triple Goddess: Triple Goddess (neo paganism)

* Wiccan traditions - there are many, but this site seems to have quite a few listed to start: http://www.witchcraftandwitches.com/contemporary_traditions.html

* Three fold rule: Formally known as the Rule of Three or The Law of Return.  Read about them here.

* Paganism defined: relating to the worship or worshipers of any religion that is neither Christian, Jewish, nor Muslim. 

* Celtic defined: Celtic polytheism, commonly known as Celtic paganism, comprises the religious beliefs and practices adhered to by the Iron Age people of Western Europe now known as the Celts, roughly between 500 BCE and 500 CE, spanning the La Tène period and the Roman era, and in the case of the Insular Celts the British and Irish Iron Age.

* Druids - we really can't go on about this that much with confidence, because as we said in the episode, there are actually neodruids (as there are neocelts)!  Hopefully this site will provide some clarification: http://www.druidry.org/druid-way/druid-beliefs

Featuring Ike; he can be heard at 20:11
* The term "Fluffy Bunny" defined, if you were wondering (15:31), this Wikipedia page defined it for us ... who knew there was a Wiki on it?!  Anyway, it says: "The term "Fluffy Bunny" is used as a derogatory term within the contemporary Pagan religion of Wicca to refer to practitioners whose adherence to the faith is perceived as being superficial and dominated by consumerist values." You can read the whole page --> here.

* Karma - As Val explained, she calls the "Law of Return," or "Rule of Three," Karma, because this way she doesn't have to explain the specifics to people all of the time.  People in general understand the word "Karma."

* Spell casting (Wicca): can be a solitary practice, with intention in mind (like silent prayer), with candles or crystals, or you can associate elaborate rituals to it (depending on who you are and what traditions you follow).  Here's a link to check out what one witch says on her site: http://witcheslore.com/bookofshadows/rituals-spell-casting/magic-and-spell-casting/2537/

* Astral Projection - Astral Projection - Wikipedia.

* Edward Kelley (20:45 as we struggled to recall his name), Edward Kelley actually existed.  Read about him here.

* Science study on time travel (21:05): errrr ...timey-wimey stuff... so check these links out and let some actual scientists give you direction there: http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/review/dr-marc-space/time-travel.html or http://www.space.com/21675-time-travel.html

* Athame (21:52; talking about the white knife): http://www.witchcraftandwitches.com/terms_athame.html

* Yule: Yule or Yuletide ("Yule time") is a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, later undergoing Christianised reformulation resulting in the now better-known 'Christmas'.

* St. Joseph for selling house (27:14) - looking to sell your house?  Check out this link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/st-joseph-prayer-sell-house-how-bury-statue-lori-ballen

* Smudging your house when looking to sell (27:32) - again ... looking to sell your house?  Here's another link: https://alleghenycandles.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/how-to-sell-your-home-with-a-sage-smudge-ceremony/

* Coffee Talk (28:21) an old(ish) SNL skit starring Mike Myers.  You can watch it --> here.

* Gramerye, (32:32) mentioned in both Shadow of Night and The Book of Life as a way to put a spell down in words from a weaver so other witches can follow the spell.  Actual definition --> here.

* Discussers, thanks for your answers to the open question: "Because of the All Souls Trilogy..." ... you fill in the blank.  Thanks to Jennifer, Aly and Milana!  One of our Discussers is Aly!  You'll remember her from this post: Yoga and the All Souls Trilogy.  Find her on Instagram.  Milana ... our new fan (and author), can be found ---> here.  For people reading this, you can answer that question below (scroll down) and also sign up to be a Discusser!

Previous Episode
Previous episode can be listened to here: Take 3 - The One with the Other Books
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If you enjoyed this episode, and would like to give us some support, here's what you can do:
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You can also contact us using this email form below.  Please make sure to let us know if it's OK to read your email (or a portion of it) on future podcasts.  If not, that's perfectly fine, too.  Just let us know! Also, if you sign up for our "Discuss" email list we may send you the subject matter of a future podcast ahead of time - this way your inputs may even get included while we record!

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Thanks for listening!
Until next time...



Credits/Copyright Information 
* Intro music: "Ghost Dance" (edited down to second chorus) by Kevin Macleod, licensed for use by Creative Commons.
* News intro: by AwesomeMusicVideos21; provided for fair-use/royalty-free.
*  Outro music: Rimsky-Korsakov - "Scheherazade Symphonic Suite for Orchestra Op.35 - IV. Allegro molto," Public       

domain/copyright-free.
* Cover art (+ all variations associated w/ it): © Daemons Domain 

* The term "unofficial" is explained in our disclaimer located in Terms of Use - item 14.
* The Daemons Discuss podcast is hosted and produced by the owners (Angela, Jean and Valerie) of Daemons Domain and can also be found by entering the url http://www.DaemonsDiscuss.com in your browser, (listed on the various podcast syndicates like iTunes, Stitcher, etc.) which will redirect you back to the parent site, Daemons Domain.
* This podcast is intended for personal download/consumption.  Please see our Terms of Use; item 3.

* Our episode titles are a loving tribute to the show "Friends" just 'cause we love Friends and - let's face it - it's easier! Here's how one of the show creators explains their reasoning:
Jeff Greenstein: "When Marta & David & Jeff & I did 'Dream On', we used to spend a lot of time thinking about titles, because they were on-screen at the top of each episode. On "Friends", we decided that was a waste of time. We figured, why not name each episode after the thing that people will ostensibly be talking about around the water-cooler the next day?"
This was a Daemon Production


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Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Daemons Discover New Haven: Harkness Tower

Harkness Tower (click to enlarge)
Today we come to you from New Haven, Connecticut – The Book of Life hot-spot and part-time home of some of our beloved All Souls Trilogy characters.  Today’s installment of Daemons Discover New Haven takes us to Harkness Tower (namesake of our author and a location mentioned in The Book of Life).

“Afterward we strolled the paths of the residential colleges while the carillon played in Harkness Tower. College and town were just beginning to swell with returning students who shouted greetings across the quad and shared complaints about reading lists and class schedules."
 ~ The Book of Life

Our Maven Daemon, Angela, was able to explore Harkness Tower in great detail.  Here is the excursion from her vantage point:

Harkness Tower is a magnificent Collegiate Gothic masonry tower that houses Yale’s carillon – known as the Yale Memorial Carillon

The tower was constructed between 1917 and 1921 as part of the Memorial Quadrangle, and when the residential college system was inaugurated in 1933, the tower became part of Branford College.

Memorial Quadrangle (view of dining hall) / Branford College Courtyard
Branford College in front of Harkness Tower
Harkness Tower stands at a grand 216 feet (one foot for each year since Yale's founding at the time it was built) and has 284 steps ground to the roof. I trodded the steps to the point just under the clock faces via a tight spiral staircase.
Spiral staircase leading to carillon inside Harkness Tower
(The steps to the bell tower above the balcony where the carillon console is housed is only accessible by the maintenance crew.)

Spiral staircase leading to bell tower
The carillon has 54 bells (big and small).  The first 10 bells were cast in 1921 and the rest were cast in 1964.

View of the two lowest bells above the room where the carillon is housed

Auditions are held each year to become a Yale carillonneur, and on average 80 students compete annually.  From the 80 that audition, approximately 5 students are selected to join The Yale Guild of Carillonneurs.

Fun Facts:
•    You do not need to know how to play a musical instrument to be a carillonneur; you only need to know how to read sheet music.
•    Nearly any song can be played on the carillon --- if piano sheet music exists for that song. (It’s a sight to see the improvisation and tweaks made on the fly - i.e., not all piano notes fit neatly into carillon playing.)

I had some of the most knowledgeable, patient and talented tour guides and carillonneurs in Kevin (double-majoring in molecular physics, and biochemistry) and Jonathan (double-majoring in engineering, and music), both Yale students. (Find out more about them, other carillonneurs, and the Guild in the About the Guild and Current Members sections.)

Kevin gave a tour of the lower tower, including the room where music, the original carillon console, and founding memorabilia is stored (a Guild mini “hall of fame”so to speak.) I was also shown the practice area (complete with a practice console, of course), and the jewel of Harkness Tower, the main carillon itself.   I was able to take in the view of campus from the balcony of Harkness Tower (located under the clock face.) It’s breathtaking to see the north, south, east and west sides of campus from each side of the tower.

View of Yale campus from Harkness Tower
The bells are played twice per day during the school year – once at 12:30 pm and again at 5:30 pm EST.  The first chimes for each hour that is played start out with Westminster Chimes. (Did I nearly jump out of my skin getting a chance to play the Chimes on Yale’s carillon?! Yes. Yes, I did!)

Immediately after, I was treated to carillon performances for a full hour!  (They accept song requests too!  I was in awe so I let the experts do the choosing.  They did not disappoint!)  You can see a medley video of the tour and some of the songs they played here and additional videos in their entirety on our YouTube channel.

From our YouTube channel
Note regarding video:  The first 1:22 minutes of the video are the Harkness Tower bells playing vs. various images.  The ambient chatter that is heard is a wonderful example of Yale student life unfolding and the bustle down High Street as I took video of the carillon playing.

I was expecting a quick tour and got so much more than I ever imagined.  I can’t thank Kevin and Jonathan enough for providing memories for a lifetime – and allowing me to chronicle it all for all of you!  It’s clear that they are musically gifted and love what they do (in addition to all the academic work they do full-time!)  If you are ever in the New Haven area, it goes without saying that I’d recommend visiting the Yale Campus – specifically, arranging a tour of Harkness Tower.  It is worth the time.  If Daemons had a rating system, I would rate this excursion 5 big lattes (like the kind with big foaming froth, complete with barista artwork and all!)

Additional sites of interest:
•    For a comprehensive history and details:  The Character of Harkness Tower
•    To discover and demystify all of the stonework, sculptures and architecture on the exterior of Harkness Tower, refer to the Ornamentation section on the Tower's Wikipedia page.
•    Yale Guild of Carillonneurs on Facebook
•    Yale Guild of Carillonneurs on Twitter
•    Harkness Tower - our Yale University YouTube playlist located --> here
•    View all of the pictures from this leg of the tour: gallery

Compelling factoid not to mention interesting and unexpected juxtaposition: There is a Buddhist shrine inside the base of Harkness Tower.  You can read more about its wonderful history and dedication here.

Until next time, “Lux et Veritas” (Light and Truth – Yale’s motto)



Post by A. Hutter
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