Comments on: Letter Names in Musical Notation http://www.funmusicco.com/musicteachersblog/2010/01/letter-names-in-musical-notation/ Information and free lesson plans and resources for music teachers Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:49:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Kalliopi Charitaki http://www.funmusicco.com/musicteachersblog/2010/01/letter-names-in-musical-notation/comment-page-1/#comment-6111 Kalliopi Charitaki Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:39:21 +0000 http://www.funmusicco.com/musicteachersblog/?p=331#comment-6111 Well done Janice...This is a very good summary. The other day I found a site about ancient greek music, which I would like to share with you. These group of people try to reconstruct ancient greek instruments and play the music. Following the link below you can hear the music and see lot of pictures. http://www.lyravlos.gr/multimedia-en.asp Well done Janice…This is a very good summary. The other day I found a site about ancient greek music, which I would like to share with you. These group of people try to reconstruct ancient greek instruments and play the music. Following the link below you can hear the music and see lot of pictures.
http://www.lyravlos.gr/multimedia-en.asp

]]> By: Patricia http://www.funmusicco.com/musicteachersblog/2010/01/letter-names-in-musical-notation/comment-page-1/#comment-6039 Patricia Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:35:13 +0000 http://www.funmusicco.com/musicteachersblog/?p=331#comment-6039 Very nice summary. I wanted to point out anyway that neums were not diastematic (indicators of pitch) until at least the 12th century (also in Byzantine music). The first neums (9th century) emerged as a pedagogical (mnemonic) method to remember the liturgical chants, which were learned by ear: the choir master would conduct with movements of his hand which later started to be added above the text on the liturgical books. Something very interesting is that they showed not only some basic melodic information (ascend, descend...) but very subtle one related to declamation (the first chants in Occidents were more or less elaborated forms of declamation of the psalms). Sometimes, and in some places, the scribes had more interest in indicating the pitch and drew their neums higher or lower around lines used otherwise to guide the copist of the text. The addition of more lines is what ended in the modern staff. I simply find this story fascinating! Very nice summary. I wanted to point out anyway that neums were not diastematic (indicators of pitch) until at least the 12th century (also in Byzantine music). The first neums (9th century) emerged as a pedagogical (mnemonic) method to remember the liturgical chants, which were learned by ear: the choir master would conduct with movements of his hand which later started to be added above the text on the liturgical books. Something very interesting is that they showed not only some basic melodic information (ascend, descend…) but very subtle one related to declamation (the first chants in Occidents were more or less elaborated forms of declamation of the psalms).

Sometimes, and in some places, the scribes had more interest in indicating the pitch and drew their neums higher or lower around lines used otherwise to guide the copist of the text. The addition of more lines is what ended in the modern staff.

I simply find this story fascinating!

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