University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Literature and Styles in Music I

I Monastery schools concerned with more practical instruction

A. Taught chants by memory and also to read at sight (cf. Odo of Cluny and Guido of Arezzo)

B. Practical treatises deal with compositional skills

C. Medieval Church Modes

Based a misinterpretation of Ancient Greek Theory (esp. Ptolemy's classification of modes)
Modes differentiated by patterns of tones & semitones and placement of finalis and co-finalis
Difference between Authentic and Plagal forms:
- Plagal forms have range a perfect 4th lower than corresponding Authentic mode
- Plagal forms may have different co-finalis

I Guido formulates 11th century teaching devices for singing

A. Scale divided into three 6-note hexachords:

Melodies of more than 6 notes require Mutation, i.e., thinking of a note as in two hexachords at once

B. Guidonian Hand

Pedagogical aid: intervals sung as teacher points to various joints of the hand, each standing for a different note (cf. Kodaly hand signals)

Earliest notation in forms of Neums, derived from grammatical accent marks from Greek Antiquity
Originally, notes differentiated by Heightened Neums
- sometimes with the use of dots to indicate groupings
Eventually, colored lines added to increase precision
By the 11th century, Guido describes a 4-line staff on which letters are used to designate F, C', and sometimes G (cf. modern clefs)
Different note shapes may have suggested different rhythms, but more recent interpretations generally assume all notes are of equal values (cf. Benedictine Monks of Solesmes)

Last Update 6/21/06