History of Musical Notation

References

• Musicouch.com-The history of musical notation
• funmusicco.com-History of Musical Notes
• The History and Elevation of the Music Symbol (PDF)

Quiz

1. How many beats does a whole note have?

2. Name one people group that created some of the earliest musical notation?

3. What are two types of musical notation?

4. What color was the first staff?

5. What are two dynamic marks?

6. What are two tempo marks?

Dynamic and Tempo Marks

Dynamic Marks:

Tempo Marks:

Forte- loud

Adante- moderately slow

Piano- soft

Allegro- fast

Fortisimo- very loud

Moderato- walking pace

Pianissimo- very soft

Largo- very slow

History of Musical Notation

Mezzo Forte- medium loud

Aldente- medium

Mezzo Piano- medium soft

Presto- very fast

Crescendo- gradually gets louder

Ritardando- gradually gets slower

Adagio- slow

Decrescendo- gradually gets softer

Hexachords

A hexachord is a six-note scale notation system that has different types. One type of hexachord has a B-flat in it and the other types have a B-natural. From these different types the flat and natural symbols were created. The sharp symbol was created later in the 1400s.

Early Notation

Some of the most early notation that was created started with the early Egyptians. The Egyptians created symbols to go with their system of hand signs they used to indicate the melody. Also the Chinese had a system of notation earlier than the 3rd century BC. Most of the earlier systems of notation had symbols, signs, or instructions to play.

Modern Day Musical Notations (Part 2)

Whole Note: Is four beats:

Eight Note: Is half a beat:

The Significance of Musical Notation

Musical Notation is significant because it gives us a way to have written music that can be passed down through generations. Very early in history there was a need for a reliable system of music communication. Most early music was passed down from one performer or musician to another by repetition and memory.

Sharp:

Natural:

Flat:

Modern Day Musical Notations (Part 1)

Quarter Note: Is one beat:

Half Note: Is two beats:

Dotted Half Note: Is three beats:

Neumes

Neumes was an early musical notation system which was placed over the lyrics to be sung to get an estimation of the rise and fall of the pitch. These were developed sometime in the Middle Ages.

Use of Letters For Note Names

By: Hayden McAdams

The system of using letters to name notes goes back to ancient Greece and maybe earlier. This system was well established in 500 BC. The first musical notation manuscripts or tablets have letters of the Greek Alphabet. Boethics, a Roman philosopher, back in the 6th century was the first person to record the use of letters for notes. This became known as Boethian Notation.

First Staff

The first staff was a red line which represents the pitch of F below the middle C. Later the staff was added as a green or yellow staff which represented middle C. By the 13th century the five-line staff with a clef was becoming widely accepted as the most practical system for musical notation.