Once Upon a Neume

In grade 10 a substitute English teacher asked us why we thought so many old pieces of literature were written in rhyme, and the answer was because it is easier to remember and pass on, especially when you don't have the printing press. Each line is a clue to what the next one is.

A lot of the posts currently here are older pieces as I've been looking through old folders and this is one I found from a project for medieval and renaissance music history. It was thrown together the night before because our group wasn't really feeling the old idea. What was originally supposed to be a humorous fairy tale-styled way of presenting neumes, the old notation system, kind of accidentally started rhyming and it ended up just being a fun way for us to remember.

Once upon a time...

When only sacred music was allowed and even the thought of music for recreation was forbidden, after the fall of the Roman empire, the people of Rome were scattered and dispersed amongst the lands, taking their songs with them, passing them along with nothing but the raw power of one’s own voice.

Although this tradition was what started the spread of music itself, it was not recorded. Songs were changed as they were passed on from ear to ear, and there was need for them to be recorded... before they were lost in time forever.

They needed a hero in the form of pen and parchment, and a hero was indeed found. This is the story of this hero, and this hero is called notation.

Our story starts, where notation first began.

Neumes was the name, on relativity it ran.

Of humble origins, French grammatical markings,

Kept the music flowing and the churchgoers harking.

These marks did lack rhythm, this we must say,

it became the memory of music, that we all hear today.

Neumes began without even a path to walk,

not even a line, general pitch with no lock.

This attempt was feeble, so neumes was given a road,

a single red line, which the note “F” showed.

This red line, entitled “the line of pitch”

although still relative, made precision slightly more rich.

Below the red line, a yellow was added,

With line meaning “C,” notation was padded.

A century later, the two lines would double.

Cutting in half, all notation’s trouble.

There was also Solfege, the first way to learn,

a music-teaching method, which singers did yearn.

By Guideo D’Arezzo each note was given name,

ut, re, mi, fa, so, and la, on a different octaves pitch does remain.

Guido assisted notation by literally lending a hand,

The Guidonian hand, for singers to understand.

They were taught to sing intervals, where teacher would point,

They new each note, by it’s finger and joint.

As notation developed, over many many years,

even rhythm grew, and threw away the fears.

Clefs and the staff, really did grow,

and become the notation, we today love and know.

Now we near the end, of our medieval story,

Maybe less intrigue, but still one of glory.

For musicians around the world to appreciate,

And listeners, and dancers, to this very date.

Passing on countless tales, and songs through the nations,

To thank we have neumes, now known as the hero, notation.

DECEMBER 20, 2011