MUSIC 308A Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Liber Usualis, Ite, Missa Est, Neume
Document Summary
Music history lecture 09/07: roman emperor constantine, christianity outlawed until constantine converted, edict of milan (313) instituted tolerance for christianity, made lawful. Roman emperor romulus augustus: last roman emperor, empire falls in 476 causes tumult in europe, dark ages. Divine office (canonical hours) rule of st. benedict (ca. 520: canon: rule or law, specific times of the day dedicated to praying and working establishment of monasteries, vespers: evening sacred ritual associated with music. First notation, scripture with text accompanied by markings, 10th cen: markings meant to suggest vocal inflections, neume notation, gestures refer to different pitches. 11th cen. universities pop up, institutionalized learning: neumes indicate pitch levels, relative to a reference line, all that is needed to sing fixed melodies. 1000-1050: pedagogy for sight singing melodies, associated interlocking groups of six notes, each containing one half step, indicating the mode. Ut re mi fa sol la ; g = greek gamma.
