Biographical information on Guido is only available from two contemporary documents; though they give limited background, a basic understanding of his life can be unravelled. By around 1013 he began teaching atPomposa Abbey, but hisantiphonaryPrologus in antiphonarium and novel teaching methods based onstaff notation brought considerable resentment from his colleagues. He thus moved toArezzo in 1025 and under the patronage of BishopTedald of Arezzo he taught singers at theArezzo Cathedral. Using staff notation, he was able to teach large amounts of music quickly and he wrote the multifacetedMicrologus, attracting attention from around Italy. Interested in his innovations,Pope John XIX called him toRome. After arriving and beginning to explain his methods to theclergy, sickness sent him away in the summer. The rest of his life is largely unknown, but he settled in a monastery near Arezzo, probably one of the Avellana of theCamaldolese order.
Information on Guido's life is scarce; themusic historianCharles Burney asserted that the paucity of records was because Guido was a monk.[5] Burney furthered that, in the words of musicologist Samuel D. Miller, "Guido's modesty, selfless abandon from material gain life, and obedience to authority tended to obscure his moves, work, and motivations".[2] The scholarly outline of Guido's life has been subject to much mythologization and misunderstandings.[6] These dubious claims include that he spent much of life in France (recorded as early asJohannes Trithemius's 1494De scriptoribus ecclesiasticis); that he trained in theSaint-Maur-des-Fossés near Paris;[6] and unsupported rumours that he was imprisoned because of plots from those hostile to his innovations.[2]
The primary surviving documents associated with Guido are two undated letters; a dedicatory letter to BishopTedald of Arezzo and a letter to his colleague Michael of Pomposa, known as theEpistola ad Michaelem.[7][n 2] These letters provide enough information and context to map the main events and chronology of Guido's life,[7] though Miller notes that they do "not permit a detailed, authoritative sketch".[2]
Guido was born sometime between 990 and 999.[7] This birthdate range was conjectured from a now lost and undated manuscript of theMicrologus, where he stated that he was age 34 whileJohn XIX waspope (1024–1033).[7] Swiss musicologistHans Oesch's [de] dating of the manuscript to 1025–1026 is agreed by scholarsClaude V. Palisca, Dolores Pesce and Angelo Mafucci, with Mafucci noting that it is "now unanimously accepted".[10][11][n 3] This would suggest a birthdate ofc. 991–992.[10][n 4]
"Guido [...] perhaps attracted by the fame of what was considered one of the most famous Benedictine abbeys, full of hope of new spiritual and musical life, he enters the monastery of Pomposa, unaware of the storm that, in a few years, it would hit him. In fact [...] it will be his own brothers and the abbot himself who will force him to leave Pomposa."
Around 1013 Guido went to the Pomposa Abbey, one of the most famousBenedictinemonasteries of the time, to complete his education.[19] Becoming a notedmonk,[5] he started to develop the novel principles ofstaff notation (music being written and read from an organized visual system).[1]
Likely drawing from the writings ofOdo of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés [sv],[1] Guido began to draft his system in theantiphonaryRegulae rhythmicae, which he probably worked on with his colleague Michael of Pomposa.[7][n 9] In the prologue to the antiphonary, Guido expressed his frustration with the large amount of time singers spent to memorize music.[21] The system, he explained, would prevent the need for memorization and thus permit the singers extra time to diversify their studies into other prayers and religious texts.[6] He began to instruct his singers along these lines and obtained a reputation for being able to teach substantial amounts of music quickly.[7] Though his ideas brought interest from around Italy, they inspired considerable jealousy and resistance from his fellow monks,[1][7] who felt threatened by his innovations.[6] Among those disapproving was theAbbotGuido of Pomposa [it].[6] In light of these objections, Guido left Pomposa in around 1025 and moved to—or 'returned to', if following the Arezzo birthplace hypothesis—Arezzo.[1]
Guido (left) showing Tedald themonochord, depicted in an 11th-century medieval manuscript
Arezzo was without a monastery; Bishop Tedald of Arezzo (Bishop from 1023 to 1036) appointed Guido to oversee the training of singers for the Arezzo Cathedral.[7] It was at this time that Guido began work on theMicrologus, or in fullMicrologus de disciplina artis musicae.[1] The work was both commissioned by and dedicated to Tedald.[7] It was primarily a musical manual for singers and discussed a wide variety of topics, including chant,polyphonic music, themonochord,melody,syllables,modes,organum,neumes and many of his teaching methods.[22] Resuming the same teaching approach as before, Guido lessened the standard 10-year training for the ideal cantor to only one or two years.[6] Italy-wide attention returned to Guido, and Pope John XIX called him toRome, having either seen or heard of both hisRegulae rhythmicae and innovative staff notation teaching techniques.[7] Theobald may have helped arrange the visit,[1] and in around 1028, Guido traveled there with theCanon Dom Peter of Arezzo as well as the Abbot Grimaldus of Arezzo.[6][7][n 10] His presentation incited much interest from theclergy and the details of his visit are included in theEpistola ad Michaelem.[6]
While in Rome, Guido became sick and the hot summer forced him to leave, with the assurance that he would visit again and give further explanation of his theories.[7] In theEpistola ad Michaelem, Guido mentions that before leaving, he was approached by the Abbot Guido of Pomposa who regretted his part in Guido's leave from Arezzo and thus invited him to return to the Abbey.[6] Guido of Pomposa's rationale was that he should avoid the cities, as most of their churchmen were accused ofsimony,[7] though it remains unknown if Guido chose the Pomposa Abbey as his destination.[6] It seems more likely that around 1029,[1] Guido settled in a monastery of the Avellana of theCamaldolese order near Arezzo, as many of the oldest manuscripts with Guidonian notation are Camaldolese.[7] The last document pertaining to Guido places him in Arezzo on 20 May 1033;[6] his death is only known to have been sometime after that date.[7]
Four works are securely attributed to Guido:[23] theMicrologus, thePrologus in antiphonarium, theRegulae rhythmicae and theEpistola ad Michaelem.[7][n 2]
TheEpistola ad Michaelem is the only one not a formal musical treatise; it was written directly after Guido's trip to Rome,[20] perhaps in 1028,[7] but no later than 1033.[20] All three musical treatises were written before theEpistola ad Michaelem, as Guido mentions each of them in it.[20] More specifically, theMicrologus can be dated to after 1026, as in the preliminary dedicatory letter to Tebald, Guido congratulates him for his 1026 plans for the new St Donatus church.[20] Though thePrologus in antiphonarium was begun in Pomposa (1013–1025), it seems to have not been completed until 1030.[20]
The "Ut Queant Laxis" hymn to Saint John the Baptist
Guido developed new techniques for teaching, such as staff notation and the use of the "ut–re–mi–fa–sol–la" (do–re–mi–fa–so–la)mnemonic (solmization). The syllables ut-re-mi-fa-sol-la (do-re-mi-fa-sol-la) are taken from the six half-lines of the first stanza of the hymn "Ut queant laxis", the notes of which are successively raised by one step, and the text of which is attributed to the Italian monk and scholarPaulus Deacon (although the musical line either shares a common ancestor with the earlier setting of Horace's Ode to Phyllis (Odes 4.11) recorded in Montpellier manuscript H425, or may have been taken from there).[24]Giovanni Battista Doni is known for having changed the name of note "Ut" (C), renaming it "Do" (in the "Do Re Mi ..." sequence known assolfège).[25] A seventh note, "Si" (from the initials for "Sancte Iohannes," Latin for SaintJohn the Baptist) was added shortly after to complete the diatonic scale.[26] In anglophone countries, "Si" was changed to "Ti" bySarah Glover in the nineteenth century so that every syllable might begin with a different letter (this also freed up Si for later use as Sol-sharp). "Ti" is used intonic sol-fa and in the song "Do-Re-Mi".
Guido is somewhat erroneously credited with the invention of theGuidonian hand,[10][27][vague] a widely used mnemonic system where note names are mapped to parts of the human hand. Only a rudimentary form of the Guidonian hand is actually described by Guido, and the fully elaborated system of natural, hard, and softhexachords cannot be securely attributed to him.[28]
In the 12th century, a development in teaching and learning music in a more efficient manner arose. Guido of Arezzo's alleged development of the Guidonian hand, more than a hundred years after his death, allowed musicians to label a specific joint or fingertip with thegamut (also referred to as the hexachord in the modern era).[citation needed] Using specific joints of the hand and fingertips transformed the way one would learn and memorize solmization syllables. Not only did the Guidonian hand become a standard use in preparing music in the 12th century, its popularity grew more widespread well into the 17th and 18th centuries.[29] The knowledge and use of the Guidonian hand would allow a musician to simply transpose, identify intervals, and aid in the use of notation and the creation of new music. Musicians were able to sing and memorize longer sections of music and counterpoint during performances and the amount of time spent diminished dramatically.[30]
Guido of Arezzo and his work are frequent namesakes. The controversialmassMissa Scala Aretina (1702) byFrancisco Valls takes its name from Guido's hexachord.[34]Lorenzo Nencini sculpted a statue of Guido in 1847 that is included in theLoggiato of the Uffizi, Florence.[35] A statue to him was erected 1882 in his native Arezzo; it was sculpted bySalvino Salvini.[36] Modern namesakes include thecomputer music notation systemGUIDO music notation,[37] as well as the "Concorso Polifónico Guido d'Arezzo" (International Guido d'Arezzo Polyphonic Contest) hosted by the Fondazione Guido D'Arezzo in Arezzo.[38] A street inMilan, Via Guido D'Arezzo, is named after him.[39]
In 1950, theComitato Nazionale per le Onoranze a Guido Monaco (National Committee for Honors to Guido Monaco) held various events for the ninthcentenary of Guido's death. Among these was amonograph competition; Jos Smits van Waesberghe won with the Latin workDe musico-paedagogico et theoretico Guidone Aretino eiusque vita et moribus (The Musical-Pedagogy of Theoretician Guido of Arezzo Both His Life and Morals).[11]
—— (1993).Micrologus (in French). Translated by Colette, Marie-Noël; Jolivet, Jean-Christophe. Paris: Édition IPMC.ISBN978-2-906460-28-7.OCLC935613218.
—— (1999).Guido d'Arezzo's Regule rithmice, Prologus in antiphonarium, and Epistola ad michahelem: a critical text and translation, with an introduction, annotations, indices, and new manuscript inventories. Translated by Pesce, Dolores. Ottawa: Institute of Mediaeval Music.ISBN978-1-896926-18-6.OCLC247329370.
^Guido's name is recorded in many variants, includingGuido Aretinus,Guido Aretino,Guido da Arezzo,Guido Monaco,Guido d'Arezzo,Guido Monaco Pomposiano, orGuy of Arezzo alsoGuy d'Arezzo
^abTheEpistola ad Michaelem is also known as theEpistola de ignoto cantu or theEpistola de cantu ignoto.[8][9]
^Translated as "now unanimously accepted" from the original Italian: "ormai unanimemente accettata".[11]
^Translated as "It is understandable that several locations in Italy claim the honor of having given birth to G[uido]" from the original Italian: "È comprensibile che diverse località in Italia rivendichino l'onore di avere dato i natali a G[uido]".[6]
^Older commentators have proposedrevisionist theories that he originated from England or Germany.[6] Mafucci noted that theories other than Arezzo and Pomposa are too baseless to be considered.[15]
^Palisca (2001a) does not include Mafucci's conclusions; however, it is worth noting that Palisca'sGrove article was written before the publication ofMafucci (2003).
^Translated as "Guido [...] perhaps attracted by the fame of what was considered one of the most famous Benedictine abbeys, full of hope of new spiritual and musical life, he enters the monastery of Pomposa, unaware of the storm that, in a few years, it would hit him. In fact [...] it will be his own brothers and the abbot himself who will force him to leave Pomposa." from the original Italian: "Guido [...] forse attratto dalla fama di quella che era considerata una delle più celebri abbazie benedettine, pieno di speranza di nuova vita spirituale e musicale, entra nel monastero di Pomposa, ignaro tuttavia della bufera che, di lì a qualche anno, si sarebbe abbattuta su di lui. Se infatti [...] da Pomposa saranno i suoi stessi confratelli e lo stesso abate che lo costringeranno alla partenza."[19]
^In his letter to Michael,Epistola ad Michaelem, Guido referred to thePrologus in antiphonarium as "nostrum antiphonarium" ("our antiphoner") suggesting they had drafted it together.[20] This remains uncheckable as the work is now lost.[21]
^Dom Peter of Arezzo was the Prefect of theCanons at theArezzo Cathedral.[6][7]Abbot Grimaldus of Arezzo's identity is uncertain;Ruini (2004) suggested that he was "an unknown Grünwald of Germanic origin", whilePalisca (2001a, "1. Life") suggested he was an Abbot of Badicroce, which was about 15kilometers south of Arezzo.
^Mafucci 2003, "Nascita Aretina Di Guido Monaco" ["Aretina Birth of Guido Monaco"].
^Mafucci 2003, "Guido Entra Alla Scuola Dei Chierici" ["Guido Enters the School of the Clerks"].
^Mafucci 2003, "Guido Entra Alla Scuola Dei Chierici" ["Guido Enters the School of the Clerks"], "Guido Lascia Arezzo per Pomposa" ["Guido Leaves Arezzo for Pomposa"].
^abcMafucci 2003, "Guido Lascia Arezzo per Pomposa" ["Guido Leaves Arezzo for Pomposa"].
^Bonnie J. Blackburn, "Lusitano, Vicente", Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Web. accessed 13 July 2016.
^Don Michael Randel, "Guido of Arezzo",The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1996): 339–40.
Mafucci, Angelo (2003). "Guido d'Arezzo: I primi venti anni della sua vita" [Guido d'Arezzo: The First Twenty Years of His Life].Rivista Internationale di Musica Sacra (in Italian).24 (2):111–122. Reprinted onmusicologie.org.
Oesch, Hans[in German] (1978).Guido von Arezzo: Biographisches und Theoretisches unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der sogenannten odonischen Traktate [Guido von Arezzo: Biographical and theoretical matters with special consideration of the so-called odonic treatises]. Publikationen der Schweizerischen Musikforschenden Gesellschaft (in German). Bern: P. Haupt.OCLC527452.
Green, Edward (December 2007). "What Is Chapter 17 of Guido's 'Micrologus' about? A Proposal for a New Answer".International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music.38 (2):143–170.JSTOR25487523.
Huglo, Michel (1988). "Bibliographie des éditions et études relatives à la théorie musicale du Moyen Âge (1972–1987)" [Bibliography of Editions and Studies Relating to Medieval Music Theory (1972–1987)].Acta Musicologica.60 (Fasc. 3). Basel:International Musicological Society: 229–272 [252].doi:10.2307/932753.JSTOR932753.
