Nov 03 2008
Do-Re-Mi Hi-Sto-Ry
We all remember it from childhood. Some of us from the “Sound Of Music” and some from music classes in kindergerten. It is as memorable as the alphabet song or Happy Birthday and it is the easiest way to know what notes are needed. Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do is like a bridge between languages from verbal to musical.
The term for naming notes this way is Solfeggio in Italian or Solfegé in French. They are both derrived from the syllables So (originally Sol) and Fa. In english is is simply called Sol-Fa, but isn’t Solfeggio so much more fun to say?
The syllables originated in the late 900’s with Guido d’Arezzo an Italian monk regarded as a musical genius of the middle ages. He used only six syllables drawn from a hymn to Saint John called ‘Ut queant laxis’.
- Ut queant laxis resonare fibris
- Mira gestorum famuli tuorum,
- Solve polluti labii reatum,
- Sancte Ioannes.
Guido started with Ut, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La. He chose the syllables from the lyrics where the notes changed and used them to teach his choir what notes to sing. Over time “Ut” was changed to “Do” because it was easier to sing and the syllable Si was added to complete the modern scale. “Sol” was changed to “So”, and “Si” was changed to “Ti” in the 19th century so that every syllable begins with a different letter.
“So” and “Ti” are used in the lyrics to the song from the sound of music, where Do-Re-Mi is most commonly associated:
Doe- a deer, a female deer
Ray- a drop of golden sun
Me- a name i call myself
Far- a long long way to run
Sew- a needle pulling thread
La- a note to follow so
Tea- a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to do oh oh oh
