Noel Jan Tyl
Encyclopedia
Noel Jan Tyl is an American humanistic astrologer
and writer of many books on the subject. In the 1960s and 70s he was a bass-baritone
opera singer who was particularly noted for his Wagnerian roles.
and graduated from Harvard University
in Social Relations (Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology) in 1958. He had studied singing and piano at school and as a freshman
at Harvard joined the Harvard Glee Club
. Two years later, he was elected its manager. While at Harvard he also sang in the Harvard Opera Guild's first production, The Barber of Seville
. After graduation he moved to Texas where he worked as the business manager of Houston Grand Opera
and continued his voice studies. He then moved to New York City for further voice studies while simultaneously working as a public relations executive. In 1964 Tyl won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions
and shortly thereafter commenced a full-time opera career.
Over the next twenty years he appeared in many American opera houses, including, New York City Opera
, Cincinnati Opera
, Lyric Opera of Chicago
, Seattle Opera
, and Washington Opera
as well as appearing regularly with the Vienna State Opera
and the Deutsche Oper am Rhein
in Dusseldorf
. He initially sang bass
roles but in 1970 expanded into the bass-baritone
repertoire and found a particular affinity with Wagnerian roles such as Hans Sachs (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
), Wotan (Der Ring des Nibelungen
), and The Dutchman (The Flying Dutchman
). Tyl had retired from the opera stage by the late 1970s and returned to public relations after founding the Washington, D.C. based firm Tyl Associates. However, he came out of retirement in 1981 to appear in two productions (Madama Butterfly
and Semele) with Washington Opera and in 1987 sang in a live German radio broadcast of Kurt Weill
's cantata, Ballad of the Magna Carta. Earlier in 1987, he had given a benefit solo recital for the McLean Choral Society. Amongst the pieces on the programme were two of his own compositions, a setting of Longfellow
's poem "The Children's Hour
" and A Rudhyar Suite: Sunset, Truth, Rebirth, Awareness which was set to texts by the astrologer, composer, and poet Dane Rudhyar
.
By the late 1960s, Tyl had developed an interest in astrology
and its relationship to human psychology, particularly need theory
. Astrology became his parallel profession for many years, and since his retirement from Tyl Assdociates has been his sole profession. His first book, The Horoscope as Identity, was published in 1973 by Llewellyn Publications and began his long association with that publisher. A twelve volume series The Principles and Practice of Astrology soon followed and over the years he became the company's most published author. His Synthesis and Counseling In Astrology, a 1000 page professional manual on the use of astrology in counseling, was published in 1994. That same year, he moved to Fountain Hills, Arizona where he continues to work as a consulting astrologer as well as teaching, lecturing and writing on the subject. At the 1998 United Astrology Congress, the world convention for astrology, he received the Regulus Award for "establishing and maintaining a professional image in the field." His 2001 Solar Arcs: Astrology's Most Successful Predictive System contains autobiographical material in relation to his own horoscope
.
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
and writer of many books on the subject. In the 1960s and 70s he was a bass-baritone
Bass-baritone
A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende...
opera singer who was particularly noted for his Wagnerian roles.
Life and career
Tyl was born in West Chester, PennsylvaniaWest Chester, Pennsylvania
The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester...
and graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in Social Relations (Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology) in 1958. He had studied singing and piano at school and as a freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
at Harvard joined the Harvard Glee Club
Harvard Glee Club
The Harvard Glee Club is a 60-voice, all-male choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1858 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest collegiate chorus in the US. The Glee Club is part of the Holden Choruses of Harvard University, which also include the...
. Two years later, he was elected its manager. While at Harvard he also sang in the Harvard Opera Guild's first production, The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
. After graduation he moved to Texas where he worked as the business manager of Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of Maestro Walter Herbert and cultural leaders Mrs. Louis G. Lobit, Edward Bing and Charles Cockrell...
and continued his voice studies. He then moved to New York City for further voice studies while simultaneously working as a public relations executive. In 1964 Tyl won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions
Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions
The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions is an annual singing competition sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera. Established in 1954, its purpose is to discover, assist, promote, and develop young opera singers. The competition is held in four stages: Districts, Regional, Semi-Final, and...
and shortly thereafter commenced a full-time opera career.
Over the next twenty years he appeared in many American opera houses, including, New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
, Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera is an American opera company based in Cincinnati, Ohio and the second oldest opera company in the United States .-History:...
, Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1952, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicolà Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria Callas's American debut in Norma...
, Seattle Opera
Seattle Opera
The Seattle Opera is an opera company located in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1963 by Glynn Ross, who served as the company's first general director through 1983, Seattle Opera's season runs from August to late May, with five or six operas offered and with eight to ten performances each, often...
, and Washington Opera
Washington National Opera
The Washington National Opera is an opera company in Washington, D.C., USA. Formerly the Opera Society of Washington and the Washington Opera, the company received Congressional designation as the National Opera Company in 2000. Performances are now given in the Opera House of the John F...
as well as appearing regularly with the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
and the Deutsche Oper am Rhein
Deutsche Oper am Rhein
The Deutsche Oper am Rhein is an opera company based in Düsseldorf and Duisburg. The opera also has an associated classical ballet company....
in Dusseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. He initially sang bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
roles but in 1970 expanded into the bass-baritone
Bass-baritone
A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende...
repertoire and found a particular affinity with Wagnerian roles such as Hans Sachs (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is an opera in three acts, written and composed by Richard Wagner. It is among the longest operas still commonly performed today, usually taking around four and a half hours. It was first performed at the Königliches Hof- und National-Theater in Munich, on June 21,...
), Wotan (Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen is a cycle of four epic operas by the German composer Richard Wagner . The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied...
), and The Dutchman (The Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman (opera)
Der fliegende Holländer is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner.Wagner claimed in his 1870 autobiography Mein Leben that he had been inspired to write "The Flying Dutchman" following a stormy sea crossing he made from Riga to London in July and August 1839, but in his 1843...
). Tyl had retired from the opera stage by the late 1970s and returned to public relations after founding the Washington, D.C. based firm Tyl Associates. However, he came out of retirement in 1981 to appear in two productions (Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
and Semele) with Washington Opera and in 1987 sang in a live German radio broadcast of Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
's cantata, Ballad of the Magna Carta. Earlier in 1987, he had given a benefit solo recital for the McLean Choral Society. Amongst the pieces on the programme were two of his own compositions, a setting of Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
's poem "The Children's Hour
The Children's Hour (poem)
"The Children's Hour" is an 1860 poem first published by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in the September 1860 edition of The Atlantic Monthly. The poem describes the poet's idyllic family life with his own three daughters, Alice, Edith, and Anne Allegra: "grave Alice, and laughing...
" and A Rudhyar Suite: Sunset, Truth, Rebirth, Awareness which was set to texts by the astrologer, composer, and poet Dane Rudhyar
Dane Rudhyar
Dane Rudhyar , born Daniel Chennevière, was an author, modernist composer and humanistic astrologer. He was the pioneer of modern transpersonal astrology.-Biography:...
.
By the late 1960s, Tyl had developed an interest in astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
and its relationship to human psychology, particularly need theory
Need theory
McClelland's Need Theory, created by a psychologist David McClelland, is a motivational model that attempts to explain how the needs for achievement, power and affiliation affect the actions of people from a managerial context...
. Astrology became his parallel profession for many years, and since his retirement from Tyl Assdociates has been his sole profession. His first book, The Horoscope as Identity, was published in 1973 by Llewellyn Publications and began his long association with that publisher. A twelve volume series The Principles and Practice of Astrology soon followed and over the years he became the company's most published author. His Synthesis and Counseling In Astrology, a 1000 page professional manual on the use of astrology in counseling, was published in 1994. That same year, he moved to Fountain Hills, Arizona where he continues to work as a consulting astrologer as well as teaching, lecturing and writing on the subject. At the 1998 United Astrology Congress, the world convention for astrology, he received the Regulus Award for "establishing and maintaining a professional image in the field." His 2001 Solar Arcs: Astrology's Most Successful Predictive System contains autobiographical material in relation to his own horoscope
Horoscope
In astrology, a horoscope is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, the astrological aspects, and sensitive angles at the time of an event, such as the moment of a person's birth. The word horoscope is derived from Greek words meaning "a look at the hours" In...
.
Partial bibliography
Noel Tyl has written over 30 books on astrology, including:- Initimacy, Sexuality and Relationship St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn, 2002 ISBN 0738701130
- Solar Arcs: Astrology's Most Successful Predictive System Llewellyn, 2001 ISBN 0738700541
- The Creative Astrologer. St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn, 2000. ISBN 1567187404
- Astrological Timing of Critical Illness. St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn, 1998. ISBN 1567187382
- Predictions for a New Millennium. St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn, 1996. ISBN 1567187374 (4 editions published between 1996 and 2000)
- Synthesis and Counseling in Astrology. St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn, 1994. ISBN 9781567187342