Storiascopio · Era 7 of 12 · lower secondary year 1
Writing music down with neumes
about AD 850 · Monasteries of western Europe (for example St Gallen, Switzerland)
In short
In the monasteries Gregorian chant was sung, but the tunes were learnt by heart by listening to the teachers. Around the middle of the 9th century monks began writing small signs above the words, called neumes, which showed whether the voice should go up or down. At first there were no lines, so the neumes only helped people remember a tune they already knew. Later, around 1025, Guido of Arezzo added the lines and gave the notes names.
Why it matters The stave used today to write music grew out of those first signs.
Source: Treccani, entry “Neuma”
Where we are in the era “Early Middle Ages”
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about AD 480Event 17 of 25about 1000
Your turn
Name ______________________ Class ______ Date __________
When did it happen? Find the date at the top and write it here:
Tell it in your own words: what happened?
Draw the scene below.
storiascopio.com/en/event/writing-music-down-with-neumes/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class