Chapter 2

The Elements of Pitch:Sound, Symbol, and Tone

Introduction

In

Chapter 1 "The Elements of Rhythm: Sound, Symbol, and Time"

we discovered

how music is organized temporally and how that temporal organization is
symbolized in written notation. Aspects of rhythm and rhythmic notation, meter,
and basic formal organization were discussed.

In this chapter we shall explore how tone is represented in music. In early music
sound or tone was not precisely notated. Rather, a system of mnemonic symbols
called

neumes

gave only an approximate indication of where tones sounded in

relationship to one another in terms of relative highness or lowness. Many notation
traditions and practices evolved in early Western music: there was no uniform
practice as to how sound in music was notated.

From this early use as a memory device, notational practice evolved over time
toward a standardized system of notation and, more importantly, toward an exact
system of tone placement.

Musicologists credit Guido d’Arezzo (c. 990–1050) for this all-important
development. Among his many pedagogical contributions, Guido adapted and
synthesized elements of numerous notational practices in order to formulate a
standardized notational system. The significance of his contributions and
pedagogical tools forms the basis of how music notation evolved into recognized
standard notation.

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