Robert Le IS.72Class 621 10/8/14 Guido d Arrezo

Have you ever wondered where that splendid music from the piano came from? And its fancy symbols, notes, letter names, and the staff? Have you ever imagined what has caused this classy music to erupt into the real world? Well, that all happened from one ancient person: Guido dArrezo. He didnt know while teaching, using fingers as letter names would change the whole world.

Guido dArrezo was born in Paris, France on 991 AD. He served as a music theorist and Benedictine monk during the Medieval era. He traveled to Arrezo to work for Bishop Theobald, a well-known historical person, and later he received an invitation from Pope John XIV in Rome, another famous person. While teaching to people and composing to music, his greatest asset was the staff. It all began when he decided to create his own music notation which eventually replaced letters to notes. He put five lines with a letter note on each line plus a letter name in the spaces between the lines, which would change the whole world. Before he started his own musical staff, the early forms of the staff were marks (Neumes) going up and down in each melody and one red line in the middle which indicates the letter name F. Also, while creating the music notation, he wrote the Microgolus which was a famous textbook and written about medieval music and used to teach and compose music. It was made dating around the time of 1026. While teaching, he used this special tool called the Guidoninan Hand. It was used to assist people to sight-sing. Parts of each finger were assigned to a different note, hexachord system, and name (Ut, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La). Guido left Pomposa in 1025 because the other monks disagreed with his musical innovations. And later on he was appointed as a teacher in a Cathedral school. He was educated at the Benedictine abbey as a monk. His contributions to music were the staff, Micrologus, and much more. These helped us understand how to manuscript music and created the beautiful music we are hearing today.

Guido dArrezo was one of the most important people in musical history. Without him, we would not be hearing that lovely music playing on the piano and use the much-more-harder musical notation which was simplified when Guido was there. He helped famous composers like Stephen Foster create perfect melodies and started the era of music with instruments! Music wouldnt have been here today without him.

REFERENCEShttp://www.longwood.edu/staff/swansoncl/Sightsinging/GUIDO%20AREZZO.htmhttp://www.italiansrus.com/biography/guidoarezzo.htmhttp://bandnotes.info/tidbits/notation.htmhttp://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Guido_dArezzo.aspxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_of_Arezzo