fa, sol, la, were applied to the successive tones of every hexachord—the short step, therefore, being always mi-fa. This constituted the first form of 'solmization,' of which many new varieties and applications have appeared, all designed to represent similar tone relations by similar signs.
These syllables were taken from a hymn to John the Baptist, the
traditional melody for which began in each line with the tone corresponding
to its first syllable. The hymn reads, "Ut queant laxis _ Resonare
fibris _ Mira gestorum _ Famuli tuorum, _ Solve polluti _ Labii reatum,
Sancte Johannes."
The system was made up of seven interlocking hexachords,
covering a total range of nearly three octaves—five tones
longer than the Greek. But two extra tones were provided—B[b]
in addition to B, so as to facilitate a sort of modulation.
The tones of the three octaves were designated respectively
graves, acutæ and superacutæ.
The lowest tone was called gamma and often gamma ut (whence the
term 'gamut' for the scale in general). Other tones were called by their
letter-names plus whatever syllables belong to them; as, for 'middle C,'
C solfaut, or, for the uppermost or extreme tone, E la (whence the literary
expression 'E la' for the extreme of anything).
Originally the tones were not studied by means of the syllables, but later it became customary to use the syllables of one hexachord as far as they served and then to shift to those of another, if the melody went beyond. This shifting was called 'mutation,' and was somewhat analogous to modulation.
Each tone was felt to derive its character from its place in a hexachord, and the similarity of the hexachords made it easy to imitate melodic effects from one to the other. The consequences of this way of regarding tones and their relations lasted long after the system as a whole was superseded by the modern system of octochords.
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Fig. 41: Guidonian Hand.
To facilitate learning and using the system, the so-called 'Guidonian Hand' was invented—a method of assigning the various tones to the joints of the hand so as to be localized in thought. This device took its name from Guido d'Arezzo (see sec. 31), though that he invented it is not likely.
