Page 27 - (DK) The Classical Music Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained

EARLY MUSIC 1000–1400 25

See also: Plainchant 22–23 ■ Ordo Virtutum 26–27 ■ Le jeu de Robin et de Marion 32–35 ■ Great Service 52–53 ■
Monteverdi’s Vespers 64–69 ■ St. Matthew Passion 98–105

his thumb’s middle joint, his voice
ascended to A, and so on up the
scale, spiraling his finger around
the joints and tips of his fingers to
indicate all 20 notes (going into
I have determined to falsetto as the spiral tightened
notate this antiphoner, and the octaves ascended).
so that any intelligent
and diligent person Solmization syllables
can learn a chant. Guido backed up these seven
Guido d’Arezzo letter names with six “solmization”
syllables—ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la—a
system of talking about melodies
in an abstract way. This was the
precursor to today’s more familiar
sol-fa (doh, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti), but Italian monk and music theorist
Guido’s syllables differ in that his Guido d’Arezzo wears a laurel wreath
say “middle C” (in the middle of solmization did not use the note in a portrait painted by Antonio Maria
the keyboard). However, if that ti, so it has only six notes—a Crespi in the early 16th century, some
is not the one they had in mind, hexachord. As the range went 600 years after Guido’s death.
they might have to say clumsily, beyond the six notes, the hexachord
“C, the octave above middle C.” had to be repeated in overlapping “C sol-fa-ut” on the Guidonian
Guido, requiring only 2.5 patterns over the extent of the Hand and the lowest G, using the
octaves (20 notes) to cover the 20 notes of Guido’s Hand. Each Greek letter name, was “gamma
vocal range of the chants, used note then ended up with both a ut,” hence the expression still in
the same seven note names we use base letter name and a secondary use today “running the gamut.”
today (A to G) for his singing aid. coordinate, derived from the The monk could now easily
The novice monk would point to note’s unique position on the specify any of the 20 notes in
the tip of his left-hand thumb and hand, to designate the octave. conversation, in writing, or by
sing a low G. Sliding his finger to Modern “middle C” translates to simply pointing to his hand. ■

The modes developed soon after) were minor scale). (The mode on “B,”
categorized. Modes helped sometimes called “Locrian”
monks remember the many mode, was not used in the
liturgical works. Western music of the Middle
Modes can be played by Ages as it was too dissonant.)
D E F G A B C D using only the white notes on Music was organized
a piano. If you were to play six according to this modal theory
Western music inherited a complete seven-note scales, until, by the time of 18th-
theoretical foundation based on starting on each of the following century Baroque composers,
early church musical practices notes, that would give an idea such as Bach and Handel, the
in Greece, Syria, and Byzantium. of how each basic corresponding “major” and “minor” principle
Sometime in the 10th century, church mode would sound: C of tonal harmony essentially
the principle of musical “modes” (Ionian mode, corresponding reduced the number of scales
(groupings or “scales” of notes) with the major scale); D (Dorian); to just two. From then on,
developed, by which the various E (Phrygian); F (Lydian); G music was considered to be
melodies of plainchant (the basis (Mixolydian); A (Aeolian, in a particular “key” and
for “Gregorian” chants that corresponding with the natural not in any given “mode.”

US_024-025_Guido_d_Arezzo.indd 25 26/03/18 1:00 PM