![Guido van Arezzo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Guido_van_Arezzo.jpg)
Guido of Arezzo ( it, Guido d'Arezzo; – after 1033) was an Italian
music theorist
Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the " rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (k ...
and
pedagogue
Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken a ...
of High
medieval music. A
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
, he is regarded as the inventor—or by some, developer—of the modern
that had a massive influence on the development of
Western musical notation and practice. Perhaps the most significant European writer on music between
Boethius
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known as Boethius (; Latin: ''Boetius''; 480 – 524 AD), was a Roman senator, consul, ''magister officiorum'', historian, and philosopher of the Early Middle Ages. He was a central figure in the tr ...
and
Johannes Tinctoris
Jehan le Taintenier or Jean Teinturier (Latinised as Johannes Tinctoris; also Jean de Vaerwere; – 1511) was a Renaissance music theorist and composer from the Low Countries. Up to his time, he is perhaps the most significant European writer ...
, after the former's ''De institutione musica'', Guido's ''
Micrologus
The ''Micrologus'' is a treatise on Medieval music written by Guido of Arezzo, dating to approximately 1026. It was dedicated to Tedald, Bishop of Arezzo. This treatise outlines singing and teaching practice for Gregorian chant, and has considera ...
'' was most widely distributed medieval treatise on music.
Biographical information on Guido is only available from two contemporary documents; though they give limited background, a basic understanding of his life can be unraveled. By around 1013 he began teaching at
Pomposa Abbey
Pomposa Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the ''comune'' of Codigoro on the Adriatic coast near Ferrara, Italy. It was one of the most important in northern Italy, famous for the Carolingian manuscripts preserved in its rich library, one of the w ...
, but his
antiphonary
An antiphonary or antiphonal is one of the liturgical books intended for use (i.e. in the liturgical choir), and originally characterized, as its name implies, by the assignment to it principally of the antiphons used in various parts of the ...
''Prologus in antiphonarium'' and novel teaching methods based on
brought considerable resentment from his colleagues. He thus moved to
Arezzo in 1025 and under the patronage of Bishop
Tedald of Arezzo he taught singers at the
Arezzo Cathedral. Using staff notation, he was able to teach large amounts of music quickly and he wrote the multifaceted ''Micrologus'', attracting attention from around Italy. Interested in his innovations,
Pope John XIX
Pope John XIX ( la, Ioannes XIX; died October 1032), born Romanus, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1024 to his death. He belonged to the family of the powerful counts of Tusculum, succeeding his brother, Benedict VIII ...
called him to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. After arriving and beginning to explain his methods to the
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
, sickness sent him away in the summer. The rest of his life is largely unknown, but he settled in a monastery near Arezzo, probably one of the Avellana of the
Camaldolese order.
Context and sources
Information on Guido's life is scarce; the
music historian
Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is a highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies music from a historical point of view.
In theory, "music history" could refer to the study of the history ...
Charles Burney asserted that the paucity of records was because Guido was a monk. Burney furthered that, in the words of musicologist Samuel D. Miller, "Guido's modesty, selfless abandon from material gain life, and obedience to authority tended to obscure his moves, work, and motivations". The scholarly outline of Guido's life has been subject to much mythologization and misunderstandings. These dubious claims include that he spent much of life in France (recorded as early as
Johannes Trithemius's 1494 ''De scriptoribus ecclesiasticis''); that he trained in the
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés near Paris; and unsupported rumors that he was imprisoned because of plots from those hostile to his innovations. The primary surviving documents associated with Guido are two undated letters; a dedicatory letter to Bishop
Tedald of Arezzo and a letter to his colleague Michael of Pomposa, known as the ''Epistola ad Michaelem''. These letters provide enough information and context to map of the main events and chronology of Guido's life, though Miller notes that they do "not permit a detailed, authoritative sketch".
Life and career
Early life
Guido was born sometime between 990 and 999 CE. This birthdate range was conjectured from a now lost and undated manuscript of the ''
Micrologus
The ''Micrologus'' is a treatise on Medieval music written by Guido of Arezzo, dating to approximately 1026. It was dedicated to Tedald, Bishop of Arezzo. This treatise outlines singing and teaching practice for Gregorian chant, and has considera ...
'', where he stated that he was age 34 while
John XIX was
pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
(1024–1033). Swiss musicologist dating of the manuscript to 1025–1026 is agreed by scholars
Claude V. Palisca, Dolores Pesce and Angelo Mafucci, with Mafucci noting that it is "now unanimously accepted". This would suggest a birthdate of . Guido's birthplace is even less certain, and has been the subject of much disagreement between scholars, with music historian Cesarino Ruini noting that due to Guido's pivotal significance "It is understandable that several locations in Italy claim the honor of having given birth to G
ido
Ido () is a constructed language derived from Reformed Esperanto, and similarly designed with the goal of being a universal second language for people of diverse backgrounds. To function as an effective ''international auxiliary language'', I ...
. There are two principal candidates:
Arezzo,
Tuscany
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Citizenship
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 = Italian
, demogra ...
or the
Pomposa Abbey
Pomposa Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the ''comune'' of Codigoro on the Adriatic coast near Ferrara, Italy. It was one of the most important in northern Italy, famous for the Carolingian manuscripts preserved in its rich library, one of the w ...
on the
Adriatic coast near
Ferrara. Musicologist asserted that he was born in Pomposa due to his strong connection with the Abbey from ; according to Van Waesberghe, Guido's
epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
'of Arezzo' is because of his stay of about a dozen years there later in life. Disagreeing with Van Waesberghe's conclusions, Mafucci argued that were Guido born in Pomposa, he would have spent nearly 35 years there and would thus more likely be known as 'of Pomposa'. Mafucci cites the account of the near-contemporary historian
Sigebert of Gembloux
Sigebert of Gembloux (Sigebertus Gemblacensis; 1030 – 5 October 1112) was a medieval author, known mainly as a pro-Imperial historian of a universal chronicle, opposed to the expansive papacy of Gregory VII and Pascal II. Early in his life ...
(–1112) who referred to Guido as "Guido Aretinus" (Guido of Arezzo), suggesting that the early use of such a designation means Guido's birthplace was Arezzo. Citing recently unearthed documents in 2003, Mafucci identified Guido with a ''Guido clerico filius Roze'' of the
Arezzo Cathedral. If Mafucci is correct, Guido would have received early musical education at the Arezzo Cathedral from a
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
named Sigizo and was ordained as a
subdeacon and active as a
cantor
A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds.
In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...
.
Pomposa
Around 1013 Guido went to the Pomposa Abbey, one of the most famous
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monasteries
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
of the time, to complete his education. Becoming a noted
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
, he started to develop the novel principles of
(music being written and read from an organized visual system). Likely drawing from the writings of , Guido began to draft his system in the
antiphonary
An antiphonary or antiphonal is one of the liturgical books intended for use (i.e. in the liturgical choir), and originally characterized, as its name implies, by the assignment to it principally of the antiphons used in various parts of the ...
''Regulae rhythmicae'', which he probably worked on with his colleague Michael of Pomposa. In the prologue to the antiphonary, Guido expressed his frustration with the large amount of time singers spent to memorize music. The system, he explained, would prevent the need for memorization and thus permit the singers extra time to diversify their studies into other prayers and religious texts. He began to instruct his singers along these lines, and obtained a reputation for being able to teach substantial amounts of music quickly. Though his ideas brought interest from around Italy, they inspired considerable jealousy and resistance from his fellow monks, who felt threatened by his innovations. Among those disapproving was the
Abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...
. In light on these objections, Guido left Pomposa in around 1025 and moved to—or 'returned to', if following the Arezzo birthplace hypothesis—Arezzo.
Arezzo, Rome and later life
![Guido e Teodaldo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Guido_e_Teodaldo.jpg)
Arezzo was without a monastery; Bishop Tedald of Arezzo (Bishop from 1023 to 1036) appointed Guido to oversee the training of singers for the Arezzo Cathedral. It was at this time that Guido began work on the ''Micrologus'', or in full ''Micrologus de disciplina artis musicae''. The work was both commissioned by and dedicated to Tedald. It was primarily a musical manual for singers and discussed a wide variety of topics, including chant,
polyphonic music
Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...
, the
monochord
A monochord, also known as sonometer (see below), is an ancient musical and scientific laboratory instrument, involving one (mono-) string ( chord). The term ''monochord'' is sometimes used as the class-name for any musical stringed instrument h ...
,
melody,
syllables,
mode
Mode ( la, modus meaning "manner, tune, measure, due measure, rhythm, melody") may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* '' MO''D''E (magazine)'', a defunct U.S. women's fashion magazine
* ''Mode'' magazine, a fictional fashion magazine which is ...
s,
organum
''Organum'' () is, in general, a plainchant melody with at least one added voice to enhance the harmony, developed in the Middle Ages. Depending on the mode and form of the chant, a supporting bass line (or '' bourdon'') may be sung on the sam ...
,
neume
A neume (; sometimes spelled neum) is the basic element of Western and Eastern systems of musical notation prior to the invention of five-line staff notation.
The earliest neumes were inflective marks that indicated the general shape but not nec ...
s and many of his teaching methods. Resuming the same teaching approach as before, Guido lessened the standard 10-year training for the ideal cantor to only one or two years. Italy-wide attention returned to Guido, and Pope John XIX called him to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, having either seen or heard of both his ''Regulae rhythmicae'' and innovative staff notation teaching techniques. Theobald may have helped arranged the visit, and in around 1028, Guido traveled there with the
Canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western ca ...
Dom Peter of Arezzo as well as the Abbot Grimaldus of Arezzo. His presentation incited much interest from the
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
and the details of his visit are included in the ''Epistola ad Michaelem''.
While in Rome, Guido became sick and the hot summer forced him to leave, with the assurance that he would visit again and give further explanation of his theories. In the ''Epistola ad Michaelem'', Guido mentions that before leaving, he was approached by the Abbot Guido of Pomposa who regretted his part in Guido's leave from Arezzo and thus invited him to return to the Abbey. Guido of Pomposa's rationale was that he should avoid the cities, as most of their churchmen were accused of
simony, though it remains unknown if Guido chose the Pomposa Abbey as his destination. It seems more likely that around 1029, Guido settled in a monastery of the Avellana of the
Camaldolese order
The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona ( la, Congregatio Eremitarum Camaldulensium Montis Coronae), commonly called Camaldolese is a monastic order of Pontifical Right for men founded by Saint Romuald. Their name is derived from the Holy Hermita ...
near Arezzo, as many of the oldest manuscripts with Guidonian notation are Camaldolese. The last document pertaining to Guido places him in Arezzo on 20 May 1033; his death is only known to have been sometime after that date.
Music theory and innovations
Works
Four works are securely attributed to Guido: the ''Micrologus'', the ''Prologus in antiphonarium'', the ''Regulae rhythmicae'' and the ''Epistola ad Michaelem''.
The ''Epistola ad Michaelem'' is the only one not a formal musical treatise; it was written directly after Guido's trip to Rome, perhaps in 1028, but no later than 1033. All three musical treatise were written before the ''Epistola ad Michaelem'', as Guido mentions each of them in it. More specifically, the ''Micrologus'' can be dated to after 1026, as in the preliminary dedicatory letter to Tebald, Guido congratulates him for his 1026 plans for the new St Donatus church. Though the ''Prologus in antiphonarium'' was begun in Pomposa (1013–1025), it seems to have not been completed until 1030.
Solmization
![Ut Queant Laxis MT](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Ut_Queant_Laxis_MT.png)
Guido developed new techniques for teaching, such as staff notation and the use of the "ut–re–mi–fa–sol–la" (do–re–mi–fa–so–la)
mnemonic
A mnemonic ( ) device, or memory device, is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval (remembering) in the human memory for better understanding.
Mnemonics make use of elaborative encoding, retrieval cues, and imag ...
(
solmization
Solmization is a system of attributing a distinct syllable to each note of a musical scale. Various forms of solmization are in use and have been used throughout the world, but solfège is the most common convention in countries of Western cultur ...
). The syllables ut-re-mi-fa-sol-la (do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-si) are taken from the initial syllables of each of the first major philosophical concepts of the Middle Ages - "dоminus", "rerum", "miraculum", "familias", "solis", "lacteal via", "siderae", or, according to Catholic sources, the six half-lines of the first stanza of the hymn Ut queant laxis, the notes of which are successively raised by one step, and the text of which is attributed to the Italian monk and scholar Paulus Deacon (although the musical line either shares a common ancestor with the earlier setting of Horace's Ode to Phyllis (Odes 4.11) recorded in Montpellier manuscript H425, or may have been taken from there)
[Stuart Lyons, ''Horace's Odes and the Mystery of Do-Re-Mi with Full Verse Translation of the Odes''. Oxford: Aris & Phillips, 2007. ] Giovanni Battista Doni
Giovanni Battista Doni (bap. 13 March 1595 – 1647) was an Italian musicologist and humanist who made an extensive study of ancient music. He is known, among other works, for having renamed the note "Ut" to "Do" in solfège.
In his day, he was ...
is known for having changed the name of note "Ut" (C), renaming it "Do" (in the "Do Re Mi ..." sequence known as
solfège
In music, solfège (, ) or solfeggio (; ), also called sol-fa, solfa, solfeo, among many names, is a music education method used to teach aural skills, pitch and sight-reading of Western music. Solfège is a form of solmization, though the tw ...
).
[
] A seventh note, "Si" (from the initials for "Sancte Iohannes," Latin for Saint
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
) was added shortly after to complete the diatonic scale. In anglophone countries, "Si" was changed to "Ti" by
Sarah Glover
Sarah Anna Glover (13 November 1786 – 20 October 1867) was an English music educator who invented the Norwich sol-fa system. Her Sol-fa system was based on the ancient gamut; but she omitted the constant recital of the alphabetical names of ...
in the nineteenth century so that every syllable might begin with a different letter (this also freed up Si for later use as Sol-sharp). "Ti" is used in
tonic sol-fa and in the song "
Do-Re-Mi
"Do-Re-Mi" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''The Sound of Music''. Each syllable of the musical solfège system appears in the song's lyrics, sung on the pitch it names. Rodgers was helped in its creation by long-time ...
".
The Guidonian hand
Guido is somewhat erroneously credited with the invention of the
Guidonian hand
In medieval music, the Guidonian hand was a mnemonic device used to assist singers in learning to sight-sing. Some form of the device may have been used by Guido of Arezzo, a medieval music theorist who wrote a number of treatises, including one ...
, a widely used mnemonic system where note names are mapped to parts of the human hand. Only a rudimentary form of the Guidonian hand is actually described by Guido, and the fully elaborated system of natural, hard, and soft
hexachords cannot be securely attributed to him.
In the 12th century, a development in teaching and learning music in a more efficient manner had arisen. Guido of Arezzo's alleged development of the Guidonian hand, more than a hundred years after his death, allowed for musicians to label a specific joint or fingertip with the
gamut
In color reproduction, including computer graphics and photography, the gamut, or color gamut , is a certain ''complete subset'' of colors. The most common usage refers to the subset of colors which can be accurately represented in a given circ ...
(also referred to as the hexachord in the modern era). Using specific joints of the hand and fingertips transformed the way one would learn and memorize solmization syllables. Not only did the Guidonian hand become a standard use in preparing music in the 12th century, its popularity grew more widespread well into the 17th and 18th century. The knowledge and use of the Guidonian hand would allow a musician to simply transpose, identify intervals, and aid in use of notation and the creation of new music. Musicians were able to sing and memorize longer sections of music and counterpoint during performances and the amount of time spent diminished dramatically.
Legacy
Almost immediately after his death commentaries were written on Guido's work, particularly the ''Micrologus''. One of the most noted is the ''De musica'' of
Johannes Cotto (), whose influential treatise was largely a commentary that expanded and revised the ''Micrologus''.
Aribo () also dedicated a substantial part of his ''De musica'' as a commentary on chapter 15 of the ''Micrologus''. Other significant commentaries are anonymous, including the ''Liber argumentorum'' and ''Liber specierum'' (both Italian, 1050–1100); the ''Commentarius anonymus in Micrologum'' (Belgian or Bavarian, ); and the ''Metrologus'' (English, 13th century).
Guido of Arezzo and his work are the frequent namesakes. The controversial
mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...
''Missa Scala Aretina'' (1702) by
Francisco Valls Francisco Valls or Francesc Valls (Barcelona 1665/1671 - 2 February 1747) was a Spanish composer, theorist and '' mestre de capella.'' Among his most known works are the mass ''Missa Scala Aretina'' and tract ''Mapa Armónico Práctico''.
Life
In 1 ...
takes its name from Guido's hexachord.
Lorenzo Nencini sculpted a statue of Guido in 1847 that is included in the
Loggiato of the Uffizi, Florence. A statue to him was erected 1882 in his native Arezzo; it was sculpted by
Salvino Salvini. Modern namesakes include the
computer music notation system
GUIDO music notation GUIDO Music Notation is a computer music notation format designed to logically represent all aspects of music in a manner that is both computer-readable and easily readable by human beings. It was named after Guido of Arezzo, who pioneered today's ...
, as well as the "Concorso Polifónico Guido d'Arezzo" (International Guido d'Arezzo Polyphonic Contest) hosted by the Fondazione Guido D'Arezzo in Arezzo. A street in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, Via Guido D'Arezzo, is named after him.
In 1950, the ''Comitato Nazionale per le Onoranze a Guido Monaco'' (National Committee for Honors to Guido Monaco) held various events for the ninth
centenary of Guido's death. Among these was a
monograph competition; Jos Smits van Waesberghe won with the Latin work ''De musico-paedagogico et theoretico Guidone Aretino eiusque vita et moribus'' (''The Musical-Pedagogy of Theoretician Guido of Arezzo Both His Life and Morals'').
Editions
*
*
*
*
*
References
Notes
Citations
Sources
;Journal and encyclopedia articles
*
*
*
*
* Reprinted on
musicologie.org'.
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
''See for an extensive bibliography''
;Books
*
*
* Lyons, Stuart (2010). ''Music in the Odes of Horace''. Oxford: Aris & Phillips. .
*
*
*
;Journal and encyclopedia articles
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
Manuscripts of works by Guidoat
The British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
Transcription of the ''Micrologus''in Latin on the ''Thesaurus Musicarum Latinarum'' of the
Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
{{Authority control
990s births
1050 deaths
11th-century Christian monks
11th-century composers
11th-century Italian writers
People from Arezzo
Italian Benedictines
Musical notation
Italian music theorists
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Medieval music theorists
11th-century inventors
Italian beatified people
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Camaldolese saints
Camaldolese Order
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11th-century Christian saints
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