The first historical mention of Stirling Castle goes back to 1110 to an act of deed by King Alexander I for a castle chapel. That the strategic spot on the Forth should have had earlier occupants such as Picts or Romans seems logical, but so far no evidence has been found to prove that in any way. The deed suggests that the fortification had been in place for some time, though.
In the 13th century, especially when the Bruce family took up the crown, the castle changed hands between the Scots and the English every few years. The frequent sieges did a lot of damage and it is therefore not too surprising that no buildings from that time survive. Stirling Castle as we see it today is a product of the 16th century. James IV, James V, Marie of Guise, and James VI took it in turns to add, replace, and embellish the building as a truly Royal residence.
The history of the Royal house of Scotland is one of social climbing. Scottish Royalty was regarded as second rate by the leading monarchies and they were treated like the poor cousins by the kings of England. The frequent marriages into the Royal houses of France were aimed at bettering their acceptance in the European pecking order, and helped the French in aggravating the English more than once.
After James VI became King of England, he moved to London and converted Stirling into barracks, whereby the former Royal Hall became a stable. Talk about social climbing! The castle was used in this way until 1964. In 1930, restoration work started on the Chapel Royal, and since the military left the premises in 1964, major restoration and rebuilding work has been ongoing to recreate the castle to how it looked as residence of the Scottish kings.
As part of this restoration, the wooden ceiling panels in the Royal bedchamber built by James V. The room was described at the time as the most sumptuous room in Europe and was another ploy to gain acceptance as part of the leading monarchies in Europe. The artisan entrusted with copying the wooden panels noticed a deviation in the 20th panel when he started working on it. Around the edge of the portrait of an unknown woman he found an embellishment that reminded him more of a code than just a whimsy of the original artist.
Analysis of the markings consisting of 0, I, and II marks revealed it to be a musical annotation similar to Welsh musical annotations of the 1560s. The panels predate the Welsh musical scores by a generation. The annotations are not a precise musical score as we would read it today for Bach or Mozart, but rather a guiding ground sequence on which the Renaissance musicians would improvise or play variations thereof. A modern equivalent of this may be found in Jazz music.
This system of annotating musical scores was given up during the 17th century replaced by the musical scores we still use. The game of playing variations of a well known tune did not die out with it; one famous collection of later variations was composed and written down by Christoph Emmanuel Bach, one of the many musical Bach children on a French song called “Ah, que je vous dirai, Madame.” The tune of which, by the way, is still a favorite children song in German speaking countries.
To get your eyes on the room, the ceiling, and the code you’ll have to be patient. The restoration of Royal bedchamber and presence room (an antechamber to the bedroom where court favorites were received by the monarch) will take until 2011 to complete.
The claims of historians, reported just about in any media I could find, that these annotations are the oldest musical annotations found in Scotland are dubious, as there seem to be musical scores integrated into Rosslyn Chapel predating Stirling’s by several centuries.
Further reader
Johann Sebastian Bach Plagiarized
Lost and Found: Britannic's Organ
Bruce Castle or Lordship House
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