Thank you, Zephyrinus: This very interesting hymn to S. John the Baptist, the text of which the music historians tell us dates from about the 8th C.—very old indeed—is so interesting. The musicologists, as Zephyrinus likely knows, say this hymn was the foundation of the 8 tone octave in Western musical notation, using the first syllable of each phrase: “ ..the first 6 musical phrases of each stanza begin on a successively higher notes of the hexachord, giving ut–re–mi–fa–so–la.” (From Encyclopedie Larousse)
(The French retain “ut” in their notation for C major: English language users replaced it with “do” (long “o”). So once again, we see how Catholic music and the Church’s monastic tradition have greatly informed the West and in fact the entire world and the arts. -Comment by Dante P
Our Liturgical Musicologist, Dante P, again presents us with a most interesting and apposite Musical Comment, for which, as always, we are most grateful.
Zephyrinus is particularly grateful for the pithy Comment that Dante P gave us: “So once again, we see how Catholic music and the Church’s monastic tradition have greatly informed the West and in fact the entire world and the arts”. Something that “Kumbaya” will always fail to do.
When next Zephyrinus is singing during his bath-time, he will alternate between the French notation and the English notation for C Major. Much to the annoyance of the neighbours.
Thank you, Zephyrinus: This very interesting hymn to S. John the Baptist, the text of which the music historians tell us dates from about the 8th C.—very old indeed—is so interesting. The musicologists, as Zephyrinus likely knows, say this hymn was the foundation of the 8 tone octave in Western musical notation, using the first syllable of each phrase: “ ..the first 6 musical phrases of each stanza begin on a successively higher notes of the hexachord, giving ut–re–mi–fa–so–la.” (From Encyclopedie Larousse)
ReplyDeleteUt queant laxīs
resonāre fibrīs
Mīra gestōrum
famulī tuōrum,
Solve pollūtī
labiī reātum,
Sāncte Iohannēs.
(The French retain “ut” in their notation for C major: English language users replaced it with “do” (long “o”). So once again, we see how Catholic music and the Church’s monastic tradition have greatly informed the West and in fact the entire world and the arts. -Comment by Dante P
Our Liturgical Musicologist, Dante P, again presents us with a most interesting and apposite Musical Comment, for which, as always, we are most grateful.
DeleteZephyrinus is particularly grateful for the pithy Comment that Dante P gave us: “So once again, we see how Catholic music and the Church’s monastic tradition have greatly informed the West and in fact the entire world and the arts”. Something that “Kumbaya” will always fail to do.
When next Zephyrinus is singing during his bath-time, he will alternate between the French notation and the English notation for C Major. Much to the annoyance of the neighbours.