![]() These notations were all written by hand the inconsistencies and idiosyncrasies of each scribe naturally resulted in some variability of representation, sometimes even on the same page. In a time before mechanical reproducibility, the standardization of signs was an unfamiliar concept. and then “gradually corrupted by careless transcription” into the treble clef. The treble clef is a standardized representation of the letter G, while the bass clef, also known as the F-clef, is a more dramatic unrecognizable evolution of the letter F. A possible addition to this evolution was suggested in a 1908 article in The Musical Times, which argued that the contemporary form of the treble clef is a result of 17th century notational technique in which multiple symbols were used indicate both pitch and vocal sound, with “G, Sol” being a common combination that was eventually shortened to G.S. ![]() These initial letters evolved over time into the stylized representations that we know as clefs today. This was the beginning of the musical staff.Įarly variations of the treble clef (image: Harvard Dictionary of Music and Wikipedia) Neumes were no longer relative only to one another, but to a standard. The pitch of this line was indicated by a letter at its start – typically F or C and, as higher range songs become more common, G. At the end of the 10th century, musical scribes increased the precision of his early notation by introducing a horizontal line to indicate a base pitch (see above image). It begins near the end of the 9th century when notation for the Plainsong of the Western Church, better known as Gregorian Chant, was first recorded with “neumes”. These were simple dashes or dots above lyrics that indicated a relative change in pitch. The history of Western musical notation describes an effort toward the development of a simple, symbolic representations of pitch and rhythm. ![]() A clef is a sign placed on a music staff that indicates what pitch is represented by each line and space on the staff. So for my own edification, if nothing else, let’s start with the basics. 12th century music notation showing neumes and a single-line staff (image: wikipedia)
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