Chapter 04 of 5
Guido's Hand
How a medieval monk invented the musical staff and gave us do, re, mi.
- The Gap
Singing from memory
In early medieval Europe, church chants were learned by ear. Singers had to memorise hundreds of melodies.
- The Chant
Gregorian chant
These melodies, called plainchant or Gregorian chant, were sung in Latin in monasteries and cathedrals.
- The Time
Years of training
Learning the whole repertoire could take many years of training.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
Where do the note names "ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la" come from?
🏺 The Lost Sound of Ancient Music
- 01The Oldest SongClay tablets from an ancient Syrian city hold the oldest known written melody.
- 02The Seikilos EpitaphThe oldest complete song in the world, carved on a grave, and its near-miss as a flowerpot stand.
- 03Reading Ancient NotationHow the Greeks wrote down music, and how scholars bring it back to life.
- 04Guido's HandHow a medieval monk invented the musical staff and gave us do, re, mi.
- 05Playing the PastTutankhamun's trumpets, the lyres of Ur and the challenge of hearing lost sounds.