How cool is this? It came from a press release - and who knew Oedipus was still so popular!?

NEW HAVEN — Yale said in a statement that "to celebrate the centenary of its founding, the Elizabethan Club at Yale has acquired a unique late-16th-century manuscript version of the Oedipus tragedy, which sheds light on the social and cultural history and pedagogical practices in England at the turn of the 17th century."

"An international conference of scholars will discuss the significance of this rare example of an obscure genre, the 'schoolboys’ play,'" on Sept. 30 at the Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall St, the statement said.
The conference, which is free and open to the public, will include performances of scenes and music from the play, the statement said.
The statement said the play "was written for grammar school students as an exercise in the rhetorical arts," according to Yale professor Lawrence Manley, who organized the symposium, also in the statement.
"There are fewer than 10 “schoolboys’ plays” extant, and this is the only one that is hand-written."

“The play presents more questions than answers,” Manley said in the statement.
"It is unclear exactly when it was written and where it was performed, he notes, and looking at the document in the context of its times has much to reveal about how pupils were taught highly valued skills of oratory and appreciation for classical literature in the Elizabethan Age. Shakespeare’s grammar school education would have closely resembled that of the boys for whom this version of Oedipus was written, he says."

The first act of “A tragedy called Oedipus” is largely original material on the life of the hero, which, Manley speculates, might have been written by someone who had attended Cambridge University. Most of the rest of the play was reproduced verbatim from known verse translations of “Oedipus” by the Latin dramatist Seneca.

In addition to being a rare example of a hand-written dramatic work produced in post-printing-press England, “A tragedy called Oedipus” is also distinctive for incorporating Seneca’s drama into this type of exercise, says Manley. “Renaissance oral training in classics was common, but it included memorization and recitation rather than theatrical performance,” he notes.

The manuscript also includes a song, which uses a popular melody, long attributed to William Byrd, but now widely disputed by scholars, the statement said. Scenes from the play will be performed by students from the Yale School of Drama, and the song, “My little swete babie,” will be sung and discussed by Yale faculty member and distinguished mezzo-soprano Judith Malafronte, the statement said.

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed.

Seems like a whole lot of folks do....and here is what some of them are saying:

How cool is this? Waving his tail attracts the lady birds.

Yale researchers note: "The courtship songs of the male Anna’s hummingbird are produced by his tail feathers during a steep aerial dive nearby the object of his affection."
But even better, according to a press release: "Yale University scientists show that the song - and therefore the mating success of the hummingbird - depends upon the exact aerodynamic relationship of two of the bird’s outer tail feathers."
This is the Sept. 9 issue of the journal Science, the statement says, and "Yale scientists use high-speed video in wind tunnels and animation to show how exactly how the feathers act upon each other to produce this song of love."
(Yale authors of the paper are Christopher J. Clark and Richard O. Prum, the statement said)

And you really can hear the quiet little love song in this really well-narrated video:

Then lace up your running shoes as it looks like Trailblazer has something that might interest you.

Their Fall Running Series begin Sept. 16.

I found out about this from Trailblazer- Denali - Enclave staffer Tony DaSilva, who often sings the praises of New Haven and surrounding areas. (and what's not to love about that!)

And they are still lokking for suggestions for places for the running series to hit, because as they say "New Haven is a runner’s paradise."

Learn more here.

Well vegetarians do eat pumpkins, right? (Plus, I think Nick Bellantoni is really cool)

NEW HAVEN — The New Haven Museum, 14 Whitney Ave., downtown, will present free programs in October that celebrate Halloween in New Haven.

- Oct. 7 and Oct. 21, the Smoking Gun Research Agency leads “Secrets of New Haven” tours, covering some of the spooky history behind the Green, Yale’s Old Campus and downtown. Tours begin at 5:30 p.m. at the World War I Memorial on the Green. They last about 1½ hours. Guests must register at 203-562-4183, ext. 11 or education@newhavenmuseum.org. Tour is appropriate for ages 10 and older. Rain dates are Oct. 14 and Oct. 28.

- Oct. 12, Nick Bellantoni, state archaeologist with the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and Archaeology Center at the University of Connecticut, will speak at 6 p.m. on “Vampire Folk Belief in Historic New England” at the museum. Refreshments served. Limited parking is available behind the museum.

- Oct. 15, the museum and New Haven Bird Club present a tour 8-10 a.m. through Evergreen Cemetery, 769 Ella T. Grasso Blvd., exploring its history, some of the famous New Haveners buried here, and the variety of birds that pass through the area.Meet at the main office, the first stone building on the left after the main entrance. Parking is available at the cemetery. The cemetery is handicapped-accessible.

For more information, contact Michelle Cheng, director of education, at 203-562-4183, ext. 11 or education@newhavenmuseum.org.

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed.