Workshop:
The Guidonian Hand
Sophia Mücke & Oliver Doyle

In the early eleventh century, an Italian monk, Guido of Arezzo, developed a new method of teaching music by giving each note a syllable. These syllables were ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, but over time became a system far more familiar to us today (partly thanks to Julie Andrews): do re me fa so la ti. By the twefth century these syllables were mapped onto a diagram of a hand, producing one of the most iconic - if also arcane - musical images of the middle ages: The Guidonian Hand.

 

In an age when copying music was expensive and time consuming, and when keyboard instruments were incredibly rare, it allowed a choir master to teach songs using only their hand, and gave students a way to visualise music in the way that so many musicians rely on notations or the layout of a modern keyboard. Being able to read this musical hand remained the first step in learning music for over 500 years.

How can understanding this system help us to better understand music of the middle ages, renaissance and early baroque? This workshop, led by Sophia Mucke (Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and Royal Academy of Music, London) and Dr Oliver Doyle, will be an introduction to the history, theory, and practice of the Guidonian Hand and Solmisation.

 

Whether you're a seasoned professional singer looking to understand how historical practices might inform your performances, you sing for fun, or simply love early music, this workshop promises an accessible and fun entry point to methods which are slowly returning to modern usage as a means of better understanding how early music was understood and performed by the musicians of the past.

This workshop is open to all, whether you would like to join in or observe. Being able to read music isn't necessary! Refreshments will be provided.