Neume

Neumes are the basic elements of Western and Eastern systems of musical notation prior to the invention of staff notation. Neumes are typically inflective marks which indicate the general shape and not necessarily the exact notes or rhythms to be sung.

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Although chant was probably sung since the earliest days of the church, for centuries they were only transmitted orally.

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The earliest systems involving neumes are of Aramaic origin and were used to notate inflections in the quasi-emmelic recitation of the Christian holy scriptures. As such they resemble functionally a similar system used for the notation of recitation of the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. This early system was called ekphonetic notation, from the Greek ekphonesis meaning quasi-melodic recitation of text.

Musical notation: Music notation is a system of writing for music. The term sheet music is used for written music to distinguish from audio recordings. In sheet music for ensembles, a score shows music for all players together, while parts contain only the music played by an individual musician. A score can be con...

Staff notation: REDIRECT Staff (music)...