Solfeggio is rather significant in every person’s music education. A musician learn it all the way long their studies and continue to use it during the entire life. There is no single point of view on how it was created. The development of note scale began in the end of the ninth century. They appeared in cathedrals of the Rome catholic church. The point is that most of the messes were sung; and sometimes it was hard for singers to remember all the verses of Gospels. They came up with an idea to put dots and lines above the words in prayer books. Later on, they began to draw other signs to differ dots and lines from each other. These signs were not notes yet, however, it was the first step toward creating the note scale. In several ears, singers began to draw dots and lines above or under the red line to outline whether a sound should be sang low or high. Some researchers states that Guido of Arezzo developed a special scale with six notes and began to use it during his lessons of music. The seventh note was added later. The names of notes were taken from the Latin hymn of St. John. However, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the first letter “un” was changed to “do”. The alternative theory suggests that solfeggio has Arabic music origins. Some researchers suggest that notes names come from the Arabic solmization system. However, it is worth to note that solfeggio was used for the first time in India around 1400 BC. When researching this issue, I came up with the idea that the alternative theory is more reliable, even though there are no documental evidence to prove it. It is well known that Arabic and Asian countries were more developed than Europe in the Medieval Ages. Hence, I tend to think that solfeggio system came to Europe from India or Arabic countries. On the contrary, however, one cannot underestimate the Guido from Arezzo’s contribution. He was the one who made a system and outlined the value of its usage.
Nowadays, solfeggio is widely used on every level of music education. The main idea of both types of solfeggio is to develop perfect ear. It is significant for every musician to have a pitch close to absolute. Besides, solfeggio is a kind of special language of musicians. When a person knows solfeggio well, he or she is able to read and play every music compositions from every part of the world. The names of notes are different, though, it is not as significant as it might seem. The point is that the names of notes are alike and a musician is able to understand it.
The history of solfeggio is rather interesting and researchers will never come up to a single point of view about its origins. However, it is difficult to underestimate its usefulness I modern world. Every musician is taught solfeggio, regardless whether he sings or play an instrument. A musician should be able to read every music work and perform it either with one’s voice or with an instrument. Besides, solfeggio is the perfect way to develop one’s ear. Regardless its history, solfeggio became one of the most significant parts of a musician’s education.
Resources:
Brids K. D. The language and materials of music. Third edition. 2012. Lulu.com
Solfege. 2012. Web. 20 Jan 2014
Where does solfege come from? N.a. Web. 20 Jan 2014
